Drôle d'équipe
by PosyDaisy
Summary: Regulus Black was dead, right ? But hey, Slughorn was not supposed to forget one of his precious photography at the muggle house he squatted. And a muggle descent of Merlin was not supposed to find it and become infatuated with a long-gone wizard. Add the unlikely duo of Harry and Severus to the mix and you've got plenty of twists ahead! Meet Désirée Lenoir, RAB's lost soulmate!
1. Chapter 1 : The Boy in the middle

**Disclaimer** : Of course I don't own Harry Potter (JK you're the best!) but the OC and the plot are all mine.

I hope you'll enjoy it, please leave a comment, I'll be happy to know your opinion as it is my first ever fanfic ! :)

Also, sorry if sometimes my spelling isn't perfect, English isn't my mother tongue but I love it very much!

The Boy in the middle

 **They were nearing a small, neat stone house set in its own garden. Harry was too busy digesting the horrible idea of Inferi to have much attention left for anything else, but as they reached the front gate, Dumbledore stopped dead and Harry walked into him.**

" **Oh dear. Oh dear, dear, dear."**

 **Harry followed his gaze up the carefully tended front path and felt his heart sink. The front door was hanging off its hinges.**

 **[...]**

 **the owners of this place are on holiday in the Canary Islands — it's been very pleasant, I'll be sorry to leave. [...]**

Désirée had been staring at the front door for a couple of minutes when she finally decided to open it. Something was off, but she couldn't figure it out. She was upset and tired, her train had been late and she had had to carry her heavy trunk until the small stone house because the taxi had forgotten about her. As soon as she set foot in the house, she heard the sound of a phone ringing. Of course, her mother HAD to call or worst : she might have already called and was now probably very upset at the thought that her naughty daughter had not answered yet. Désirée sighed, pushed her trunk in a corner and ran to the phone that was located next to the beautifully adorned book shelves.

"Désirée speaking."

"DESIREE LENOIR! I'm very disappointed in YOU ! I hope you have a very good reason for not calling whereas you should have arrived more than two hours ago already !"

"Mom, mom, please don't yell, I'm not deaf for God sake! My train was late and I had to walk from the station to the house.."

"Oh! Really? But you should have phoned from the station, you had me worried sick !"

"I'm sorry mom, I really am, but look I had just stepped in the house when you called and I just didn't think of phoning you earlier as I was trying to get here ASAP."

She heard her father's voice in the back, trying to reason her mother. She sighed once more, her mother had been worrying about her ever since day one when she supposedly almost died at the clinique and sometimes it was just overwhelming.

"Oh fine, fine, I won't meddle since it's perfectly normal not to have a word of you for two hours long! Tell me, is everything alright ? Mr and Mrs Harrison assured me that the house was clean when they left for the Canaries."

"Yes mom, everything is just fine..."

At that very moment, her eyes were attracted to a small parcel of paper who seemed to have fallen from the dresser. She bent and grabbed it between her fingers while trying to keep the phone to her ear. It seemed to be an old photography as it was in black and white. She could hear her mother going on and on about all the things she had to take care of while staying at the Harrisons but she was too focused on the photography to answer or assent. At the front stood seven boys, each holding what she identified as a broomstick. They had odd clothing and behind them were some giant loops. But the most unsettling thing was that she was under the impression that the picture itself was moving.

"Mom, mom. You won't believe it, I just found an old photography at the Harrisons and there are those weird folks holding broomsticks and the funniest thing is that it looks like the picture is moving. Really, I think I might go to bed early."

"Brooms you said? Well, you shouln't keep it, put it down where you found it and forget about it, it's nonsense."

Her mother seemed tense but then, she was very often.

"I know right, it's really absurd. But hey, I wonder if Mr Harrison is on the picture.. And the boy in the middle is really cute, it's as if..."

She caressed the picture with her index finger, drawing the contour of the thin boy at the front's face whose dark eyes had immediately attracted her own. She felt like she knew him, that she had to know him. And then she felt a rush of sadness as if nothing could be bright after that. She gasped.

"Désirée! What happens?"

"I don't know. Mom...I feel so sad, so sad."

She realised she was sobbing; the photography seemed blurry but she could still guess the haughty look on the boy's face.

"Désirée! Answer me!"

"Mom, what's happening to me? I feel so bad..."

"Désirée, keep away from the chimney alright? Don't hang up!"

She had fallen on her knees, her head hurt horribly and she was still sobbing quietly. Then she heard a strange, ruffled noise coming from the fireplace, she just had time to turn around and see two pair of legs coming down from it before she fainted.

When she woke up, she found her mother scrutanizing her face most anxiously. She had been carried onto a cosy sofa where she was presently laying.

"What, what happened? I think I had hallucinations. And how can you be here?"

"Well, you didn't my love. Oh, if only it had not happened! Now, I have so many things to explain to you before it begins to make sense. My poor baby, why couldn't you have always stayed a little girl?"

"Mom please, I don't understand."

She then spotted her father who sat next to the fireplace. He looked rather anxious, which was a first, and also a bit tired. When he caught her eyes, he smiled at her and came to her side.

"Well, I guess you are now of age, my posy daisy."

The use of her little nickname made her smile; if her father was using it, it would be alright, wouldn't it ?

"You'll be glad to learn that you have some drops of English blood in your veins."

"Oh really Armand! How could you begin with that!"

Her mother now looked her usual upset yet tender self which was very comforting.

"Well she would have learned sooner or later and I figured it would make her happy since she's so infatuated with this *herm* unwelcoming country."

"I love England almost as much as my beloved France, thank you very much! But what do you mean, I have English blood ? Does it mean you have some too? Or is it mom?"

"Unfortunately, I guess it would be me."

"How?"

"Well your great grand-father, Marius Lenoir, who died long before your birth, was in fact né Marius Black."

"Oh I see! Did he decide to emigrate?"

"Not quite; rather, he was forced to."

"By whom?"

"By his own family."

"What ? Impossible! Why would they do that to him? Was he a bad person?"

"Oh no! Not as far as I know. I guess his biggest flaw, according to _them_ , was to be normal."

"What do you mean, normal? How could that ever be a flaw?"

"That's exactly why I'm saying those English people are insane!"

"Really Armand, you shouldn't have said that in the first place!"

"Oh really? Then what should have I said um? That they threw him out and forgot all about his existence, because he wasn't some..some freak!?"

"Oh please, you know it doesn't work like that in all the wizarding families! It's just that the Black are particularly messed up!"

"STOP! Excuse me, but did I hear correctly? Did you really say the _wizarding families_ , mom? And what with the Black, you're both so confusing, my headache is getting worst."

Her mother bore a very stiff expression while her father just looked upset after their little bickering.

"Yes, I said _wizarding_ , Daisy."

"Now I think we should ALL go to bed early, in fact I'm still probably hallucinating for how could you possibly be here in such a short time ?"

"Floo powder."

Her mother had almost blurted out the word and she now looked very pale.

"The what ?"

"F-L-O-O powder. Wizards often use this to travel faster from a fireplace to another."

"Wait, are you trying to make me believe, that you really traveled from our mantelpiece to...this one ?"

"It's the truth darling."

Her mother looked even paler if it was possible and her dark eyes were shining with tears.

"That's mental, you're both mental.."

Her mother let out a small sob while her father sighed heavily. She looked from one to the other, casting each of them a slightly desperate glance. They couldn't be serious, could they? Magic, even if the word still sent waves of excitement through her body, didn't exist or did it ?


	2. Chapter 2 : Merlin's descent

**Disclaimer** : Of course I don't own Harry Potter (JK you're the best!) but the OC and the plot are all mine.

I hope you'll enjoy it, please leave a comment, I'll be happy to know your opinion as it is my first ever fanfic ! :)

Also, sorry if sometimes my spelling isn't perfect, English isn't my mother tongue but I love it very much!

 **Merlin's descent**

It was almost midnight when Désirée finally began to believe that neither her parents-nor she for that matter- were suffering from an early stage of dementia. It was the first time that her pragmatic, engineering-fueled mind was met by an unsolvable issue. And it was only after witnessing for the third time her parents vanishing in the fireplace and reappearing only seconds later, that she began to slowly open up to the idea of magic. Not that she was opposed to, but seeing her firm beliefs crumble right before her came as a great shock. Maybe, if she had been younger, would have she been able to discard her doubts more easily as she would have been dazed by all the possibilities it brought to her life. But as a twenty-something engineering student, her many years of deeply-rooted scientific contents were strongly fighting her remaining childish hopes. Thus, when she first admitted that she could _not_ explain their sudden appearance, she wasn't thrilled but rather wary : "So, magic _did_ exist, but did that mean dark magic existed too?".

All of this was already terribly confusing and Armand's story was only making it more so. Indeed, it appeared that her father was the descent of a _Squib_ as wizard folks called it. It meant his family was magical but that he got none himself. Pity. She had also learned that her unique "Lenoir" name came from her father's English ancestors who were called Black. They were, according to him, a very prominent wizarding family in Britain, most known for their extreme opinions when it came to blood purity.

Blood purity...this was another notion that she had had to learn. To her muggle (what a funny word!) self, it sounded like racism, really.

And so, the Black being so prejudiced had led to her great-grandfather being shunned out of his own family tree and, if the story was true, burned off an old family tapestry.

All of a sudden, spending so many holidays in England didn't sound so alluring anymore and Daisy was thankful that she never had to cross paths with such horrid, deranged people-yet. As she listened to her father's story, she caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror located at the other edge of the room. She looked paler than usual which brought a sharp contrast with her thick, shiny, dark copper hair which fell in bangs and her big dark eyes who looked straight back at her with a lost expression.

"Désirée, please try to focus. I know it's hard for you but you have to listen to the end. I'm almost done anyway."

Her father looked at her with a tired expression mirroring her mother's ; he had been talking for more than three hours now and it seemed to cause him some stress.

"So that's how your great-grandfather Marius decided to emigrate to France where he met and married your gran-gran. And up 'til now, no wizard or witch appeared in the family."

"So you're called a Squib too ? And I'm also one ?"

"No, we're muggles and proud to be, and that's all that matters. Never be ashamed of what you are Daisy, the worth of a man or a woman is not related to the amount of wizarding blood he or she carries."

"I see, you must be right, I guess...But if we are muggles, how come you could use this floo powder to travel here ?"

"I guess this one is for your mom to answer...""

"What ? You too ? You're kidding right !? But I thought..."

"You thought what you wanted to think. Yes, I too, come from a wizard bloodline."

"Oh! And are they all as nice and tolerant as my dear Black ancestors?"

Her mother pursed her lips. She looked haughtier than ever.

"Of course not! I descend, and you too for that matter, from Merlin himself."

"Very funny, mom."

"So you think I'm joking?"

" 'Cause you're not?"

"Because. Not 'Cause, Daisy."

Désirée rolled her eyes. Only her mother could throw a bomb like that with such indifference and care more about her language than its content.

"Fine! We descend from Merlin...but that doesn't explain why you're allowed to use magical devices! Unless...are you a witch ?"

"As if! Of course not. Merlin feared that Viviane's children would inherit her spirit and dispositions rather than his that's why he cast a powerful spell on his own offspring to ensure that they would never be able to do magic. And none of his descents was able to do magic ever since. However, contrarily to Squibs we can feel magic and see it when it surrounds us. And sometimes, some of us are born with the Sight."

"What's this again?"

"The gift to see parts of the future."

"Really ? Do _you_ have it ?"

"More or less."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes, I have intuition...but it only works with people who are directly related to me, I cannot use my gift on just anybody."

"Wow, that's still awesome mom..And...do you think I have inherited it?"

Désirée looked up at her mother hesitantly, as if she was fearing her answer. The latter had bitten her lower lip and was looking straight at her daughter with an undecipherable expression.

"No. No, I'm pretty sure you don't possess the Sight. I'm sorry, Daisy."

"I see...Plain muggle then. It's alright I guess. I suppose I wouldn't have had any use of it anyway. And, as your daughter, you can see things about me, right ? That's pretty cool already."

Her mother sat next to her and took her hand in hers.

"Honey, not possessing the Sight doesn't make you any less special. Daddy already told you : the worth of a person is not determined by her amount of magic. And I'm pretty sure that you can _feel_ magic and maybe you can see it too, though that is yet to determine."

"Right, I'm good mom, don't worry. It's not as if I had _always_ lived surrounded by magic so it shouldn't bother me..much. But I still don't understand how being Merlin's squib-like descent and a..erh... Seer, allows you to travel by fireplaces."

"Well, I'm a teacher", _she said stiffly_.

Désirée chuckled softly.

"That I know already."

"I'm a teacher à l'Ecole de Magie de Beaubâtons..."

"Wait, you mean the French magic school you and dad mentioned earlier ? You can't be serious!"

"What if I am?"

A small glance at her mom told her that she was dead serious.

"Oh Lord, that explains so many things! So you use the powder to get you to this school, is that right ?"

"Yes, I do. The French President of Magic himself allowed me to."

"That's pretty cool!"

"Really, it's nothing to fuss about, it was just the easiest way for me to concile my job and my life with you and your father."

"And what do you teach then ? You always told me you were a history teacher?"

"And I didn't lie to you! Only I'm a History of Magic teacher."

"Awesome!"

"Not so much", _her dad muttered_.

"Oh come on daddy, you have to admit that it IS interesting, even if you descend from a mental family."

"I pray we talk about something else!"

"Oh fine, I have yet plenty of questions to be answered anyway. First, why did I faint? Why is it that when I saw this picture I felt this bad?"

"Well, we're not entirely sure honey, but I Saw that you were to meet a man, a man that your heart would be able to recognize no matter what, even through time."

"Through time? What does it mean?"

"I fear that maybe you won't always remain in our time."

"What ? You mean like time-travel?"

"Maybe..."

"That's-That's crazy! How could I ? You already told me I didn't possess any magic and it's not like you both could throw me through time right?"

"No, no of course not! Even if we could, we wouldn't. But...It might be your destiny to meet this man."

Désirée thought about her mother's words. She knew deep down that she was right. She felt bound to the boy in the picture from the moment she saw him. Every cell in her body craved for him and told her to try and find him. But that was just too much to stomach over one night. She needed to sleep and then decide what she would do now that she knew the whole story.


	3. Chapter 3 : Meeting Snape

**Disclaimer** : Of course I don't own Harry Potter (JK you're the best!) but the OC and the plot are all mine.

I hope you'll enjoy it, please leave a comment, I'll be happy to know your opinion as it is my first ever fanfic ! :)

Also, sorry if sometimes my spelling isn't perfect, English isn't my mother tongue but I love it very much!

 **Meeting Snape**

Désirée was feeling nervous. Well, not that it was the first time it happened to her, but it was definitely the first (and she hoped the last!) time she had had to flush herself into a public toilet. And knowing that all the people around her were doing the same hadn't comfort her much.

She was now sitting in a very long, rather dark corridor, waiting to be received by an acquaintance of her mother who worked for the British Ministry of Magic. Two months had already passed since the day she had found out the truth about her family history and their ties to magic. As time went on, she had learnt to accept it. However, she had soon begun experiencing some weird phenomenons such as flashes of people and sceneries she didn't known, dreams that didn't mean anything to her and even dizziness.

This had led her mother to contact her old friend whom she believed might be able to help. According to her, it was all related to her daughter's strange bound to the guy in the picture. And after a few weeks, she had gotten her a meeting here, at this crazy place that magic folks called a Ministry. After she had gotten inside, she had asked her way more than five times until one tall, ginger-haired man took pity on her and lead her in this corridor, telling her to wait here until someone came to fetch her. She had clasped her hands over her skirt and her feet were tapping the floor eagerly. She began regretting asking her mother to come alone for it was the first time that she felt so out of place, thrown in a world where so many things were out of her reach. She felt powerless and she hated it. Not that she wanted magic, but she didn't want to be seen as an inferior.

She was so focused on her own thoughts that she didn't realise the door beside her had opened nor did she see the tall, black man, who had come out of it and was now looking at her with a look of mild interest.

"Goog morning young lady, you must be Louise-Anne's daughter, is that right?"

Désirée almost jumped out of her chair. His voice was very deep and rather soothing. She stood up immediately and nodded.

"Yes, yes, I am. Good morning Mr. Shacklebolt!"

"Please call me Kingsley; your mother and I are old friends. Come in, come in. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you. Oh yeah...she told me so. Excuse me erh- Kingsley, but hum-how did you meet her?"

"She didn't tell you that ? Well, even if your mother can't use magic, she's quite famous for her Sight in our world. Though I must say she does an amazing job at protecting her privacy! We met in Paris, years ago. I was visiting some muggle friends of mine and they were hanging out with her at the time so we got to meet quite a few time."

"Wait, did you just say that you have...muggle friends?"

"I guess, I did. Some wizarding families have close ties with muggles, even those who strongly deny it. As for me, I don't make any difference between muggles and wizards, we are all of the same kind."

"I see...Some families deny it, like the Black family?"

"Yes, unfortunately, and it's not the only one...Well, let's get back to our subject. Your mother told me you had a weird reaction to a wizarding photography, is that correct?"

"Yes, I felt very bad and then I fainted."

"Hmm, I see...And how have you been lately ? Did you faint again ?"

"No, no I didn't. But I feel tired, very tired. Almost sick in fact."

"That's strange. It's quite uncommon for a muggle to react that way to a plain wizarding artefact. Though I guess, your case might be a litlle more complicated."

He seemed very mindful and a little worried, she noticed. He had paused for a few seconds when they heard someone knocking on the door of the office. Kingsley straightened his back and his deep voice echoed through the room:

"Yes?"

"Severus Snape, I came as you wished."

"Ah yes, please come in Severus!"

Desirée tried to get a better look at the stranger who was now walking into the room.

"Good morning, sir."

After what seemed like an eternity, the man named Snape stopped staring at her face with open disdain and nodded.

Not very polite, this one, _she thought_.

He then turned to Kingsley who was now standing and looking at him expectantly.

"Why did you need my-assistance, Kingsley?"

"Well Severus, this young lady here is the daughter of Louise-Anne, the Beauxbâtons' History of Magic teacher."

"Ah, the suqib who has the Sight?"

"Yes, yes, she's the one."

"If the rumors are true, she's also a descent of the Great Merlin himself, _he drawled_."

"It is true, Severus."

"Then, did her daughter develop some magic skills ? I had heard that her family only produced squibs or muggles."

"And that is right too. No, her daughter has no magical talent. And I guess, she doesn't possess the Sight either?"

"No, I don't possess it...at least, I don't think so. And neither does my mother."

She didn't miss the look of pure distaste on Severus Snape's face. Had he not seem to be a close acquaitance of Kingsley, she would have thought he was part of those crazy pureblood supremacists her dad had told her about.

"But even if she can't use magic, miss Désirée recently had a strong, unexplainable reaction to a magical item."

"Oh, did she ? Maybe a simple curse."

"Ah Severus, I wish I could make you come only for a simple curse. But no, unfortunately, there was not a hint of a curse on it."

"And what was the item?"

"A plain magical photography."

"Surprising, I guess..."

"Yes and it appears that miss Désirée has been feeling sick ever since she came across it."

"Do you want me to perform a Detecting Spell on her?"

"Yes, and I would like you to control her blood and energy."

"Wait, what?"

But both men didn't seem to mind her interruption as they kept on talking.

"Do you think she might suffer from a magical intoxication, perhaps?"

"It wouldn't be unlikely..."

"Maybe St Mungo's would have been more indicated?"

"You already know that they don't accept muggles. Besides, Louise-Anne doesn't wish to make it public."

"Obviously."

Desirée's face had turned whiter and whiter by the minute and now she was looking positively horrified. Those men were scaring her beyond belief as she failed to understand what they were talking about. Never had she wished so intently that her mother were by her side. The Snape man finally turned to her and before she could speak he had grabbed her arm, pulled up her sleeve and taken out what looked like a wooden stick out of his pocket. She mumbled:

"What is that thing? Is it a magic wand?"

"At least, your mother did tell you some things. Yes, that's my wand. And now lay still!"

The greasy-haired man began muttering words that made her think of latin but she couldn't understand it at all. As he finished saying his...-formula?- (it did look like one), a white light came out of his wand and she felt like all her enery had been relocated in her left arm.

Then he immediately performed another spell on her. And this time, she saw that her whole body was glowing faintly and her outline was getting blurry. She turned to Kingsley who was now looking very worried.

"Am I very sick?"

"Well, we might have a slight problem here... Kingsley, I fear your little- protegee has gotten herself into a lot of trouble."

"What do you think about it, Severus?"

"I'm not quite sure yet, but I'll be after I'll analyse—this!"

In a fluid motion, he had took a small vial out of his cloak and was now collecting some drops of blood from Désirée's finger.

"It appears that Miss Désirée is not as magic-less as she was supposed to be."

"What do you mean?"

"When I performed the Detecting Spell on her, I felt magic! Not mine, of that I'm positive, although it seems that something is preventing her to have access to it. But not anymore, there's a fight going on inside of her."

"That doesn't make any sense!" _Kingsley seemed lost._

" **Maybe I can explain!"**

Everyone in the room turned to the door which had been opened wide by none other than her mother. When would it all end?


	4. Chapter 4 : I Saw it

**Disclaimer** : Of course I don't own Harry Potter (JK you're the best!) but the OC and the plot are all mine.

I hope you'll enjoy it, please leave a comment, I'll be happy to know your opinion as it is my first ever fanfic ! :)

Also, sorry if sometimes my spelling isn't perfect, English isn't my mother tongue but I love it very much!

 **I Saw it**

Désirée watched her mother march through the room with her usual poise and grace and stop right in front of Snape who was attempting—and failing—to hide a scowl. She cast him a defiant look and pursed her lips in distate.

"It seems that studying potions made you neglect other courses, Severus. Haven't you heard about Merlin's curse?"

"I believe I did, Louise-Anne. But please, do enlighten us as you seem so-eager to provide a full course on the subject."

He had almost spit her name, as if the word tasted bad on his tongue.

"Certainly. As you should already know, Merlin cast a powerful curse on all his female descents to prevent Vivian to live through our magic. However, it's impossible to suppress magic within a person, so he placed his own magic around instead, acting like a barrier to contain it. We possess magic but we're completely disconnected from it. That's why we're almost as good as Squibs. But, in Daisy's case, I'm pretty sure the photography acted as a catalyst for her magic to wake up. And it has been fighting Merlin's ever since."

"Well, that would probably explain her low energy and her tired state. Kingsley, since you've already found someone so knowledgable on the subject, I don't see why I should waste more of my time here nor why my assistance was required in the first place."

"As much as I would appreciate to do without your assistance, I can't predict how it's going to affect her nor what is truly happening insider her. We need to know how it will evolve."

"We?"

"Yes, I had a Sight some time ago. And unfortunately, you were in."

"Oh? But I thought your vision only concerned those close to you?"

"And that's the truth. You will help Daisy fulfill her destiny; it's what I Saw!"

"Surely, you wouldn't pretend that all Sights are true."

"No, but I think you're well placed to know that some of them do come true. Don't you Severus?"

"You! How ?!"

"Never look down upon Seers Severus, even those who are Squibs-like. The things we learn will forever remain out of reach for people like you."

"I still have a choice in the matter. I can refuse watching over your sick muggle daughter!"

"Yes you can. But _he_ will convince you eventually..."

"Who?"

"The boy with the scar."

"Impossible! Potter has nothing to do with you or your daughter! He doesn't even know her, you crazy.."

But Louise-Anne cut him short.

"Maybe if we didn't exist...but we do! And he will meet her some day."

"I don't believe you. There's just no way me and Potter would—team up, or whatever you Saw, to help your daughter. That's preposterous!"

"So you two don't get along...Pity. Well, I've done my part. After all you do have a choice, like you said. At least you won't be too surprised if my prediction do come true."

Désirée stood still, completely flabbergasted by her mother's revelations. She was struggling to take it all in and her confusion was clearly mirrored by her facial expression. That was just too much for her muggle-self to handle! She stared at the Snape man and the more she stared, the more she was convinced that he was right: there was just no way they could ever get along. And teaming up was clearly not a likely option. Surely, her mother's skills had begun to fade away. And what with the "boy with the scar"? From all she recalled, the only boy with a scar in her surrounding was her ten-year-old cousin Paul who had had a bad encounter with a boomerang, but that didn't make any sense! Besides, Snape seemed to know the boy...Potter, was it? Then he was most likely a wizard. Oh boy! Yet another one. Hopefully, **he** wouldn't be too prejudiced against her kind. For it was quite apparent that Snape wasn't too fond of her and she suspected her lack of magic skills wasn't helping. Though, on second thought, the man didn't seem nice—at all. From his greasy hair to his black, worn-out robes, everything screamed "neglect". And she was pretty sure that it was no new feature for him. She could almost picture him as a young boy, teased for his shaggy looks. No wonder he was now acting like a douche...But still, he must have been aware of it right? Then he could have tried to improve it as soon as he began earning his living. Because, for some reason, she couldn't picture him as unemployed. So, it had to be it: Severus Snape was a coward.

Too coward to properly face life, he was hiding behind his poor appearance and dark glares withtout attempting to change it. Or at least, that was the impression he gave her.

Meanwhile, Kingsley had listened intently to his old friend's tale and was now reflecting upon it. If her Sight did come true, it would definitely threaten Dumbledore's plans. What should he do now? Should he inform him of this strange story? And why Harry Potter had to be involved in yet another drama? The poor boy already had a lot on his plate. And now that a muggle girl infatuated with a wizard photography came into the picture...Dumbledore wouldn't be pleased...Kingsley sighed. He really wanted to help Louise-Anne but he couldn't risk the future of the wizarding world because of a Sight! He glanced at the young girl who sat on the other side of his desk. She looked dazed, as if her mind had left her body for a while. Louise-Anne had told him her daughter was a "thinker", in one of her letter, but he had never met her before. Now that he had got a good look at her, he perfectly understood what she had meant. As her dark eyes remained fixed on Severus's face, it was clear that she was thinking hard. Was she really bound to meet the Boy-Who-Lived? Right now, he had to agree with Snape; it seemed most unlikely. Yet, he had known Louise-Anne long enough to avoid taking her words lightly.

Just as he was going to join the conversation, he was interrupted by his friend who had turned to him:

"Kingsley, you have to promise me one thing, please. And so do you, Severus! Don't even think of going right now."

Snape pursed his lips, clearly annoyed to have been summoned back.

"A promise, you say?"

"What is it, Louise-Anne?" Kingsley tried to smile at her.

"I want you both to promise me that Albus Dumbledore won't know a thing about it. With the Unbreakable Vow."

Both men looked shocked. Severus froze while Kingsley furrowed his brows. That didn't bid well with their plans. Kingsley could see his own struggle mirrored by Snape. If, like they both were inclined to believe, Louise-Anne's Sight was impossible to accomplish, then this promise was no big deal. But, on the other hand, if it did come true, then they would face deep trouble.

"Why should we do that?"

"Way to go, Severus", thought Kingsley.

"Because, as you both already know, Albus Dumbledore likes to be in charge of the events and it is essential, for the sake of what I Saw, that he remains out of this matter. After all, you both seemed pretty sure that this wouldn't happen a minute ago so it shouldn't be a big deal."

Kingsley inhaled deeply. Louise-Anne was his friend and as she had pointed, her Sight seemed pretty unlikely. He would just have to make sure that Harry Potter and Désirée never met and it didn't look this hard to prevent. Thus, Dumbledore would remain out of this and none of his plans would be threatened. Yes, this was the right thing to do.

"Fine, I'll do it."

His deep voice echoed in the room. At the same moment, Snape had come to the very same conclusion : Louise-Anne was probably delusional, and he was totally capable of keeping a closer watch on Potter to ensure that he would never meet the muggle girl. That way, he wouldn't really betray Dumbledore's trust. Yes, that was the best solution.

"If you insist..."

"Thank you."

Then, both proceeded to cast the spell, each in turn. Daisy looked mildly interested as she had never witnessed such display of magic. It looked like it was pretty complex and her mother had paid a close attention to the choice of words used by the spell-caster. Indeed, it was now impossible for both men to inform this Dumbledore man, in one way or another.

As for Snape, he had agreed to analyze a sample of Désirée's blood and report the results to her mother. In the mean time, she would have to wait.

After they had all left his office, Kingsley took some time to mull over what had happened in the afternoon.

He thought of the young woman with the dark eyes who was sitting over here an hour ago.

Her story deeply puzzled him...even more so since he had taken a closer look at the photography that Louise-Anne had handed him before leaving. For the identity of the man at the center of the Quidditch team made no doubt : Désirée was infatuated with none other than Regulus Black!


	5. Chapter 5 : Uncovered secrets

**Disclaimer :** Same as ever, JK bests us all here, so I only own the OCs and the plot ! ;)

Hope you'll enjoy this new chapter, I so dreaded to write it. ^^

And thank you all who are following, liking or commenting this story, it means a lot ! 3

Uncovered secrets

Severus Snape had already spent several weeks pondering over the Lenoir's girl results of analysis but it still didn't make sense.

How on earth could someone, especially someone with no magical talent, belong to two different time periods at once?

For the results of the tests were definitive : Désirée's essence was being slowly pulled to the 70s, thus making her more and more tired in the present time.

All of this was giving him a headache. Why had he agreed to help Kingsley in the first place? He just wished he could forget the whole story and focus on other matters instead. After all, he had to prepare for Dumbledore's last request.

As he reflected on ways to announce the odd results to the annoying Seer woman, he let his eyes wander on the small vials neatly aligned on the shelf facing his desk, kind reminders of his time as Potions Master. Then slowly, an idea began to form into his mind. After all, he wasn't responsible for the girl's results and he was fairly sure there was no cure for this kind of things! The death of the muggle girl didn't mean anything to him and it probably wouldn't change the world's course of history... Yes, for the sake of Dumbledore's plans, he would just have to tell Louise-Anne that her daughter's magic struggle against Merlin's was tiring her but that it would pass over time. As for him, he would just forget the whole story, that was definitely the best solution he could come up with. He wrote a short notice letter to Louise-Anne and quickly summoned an owl to deliver it. A few minutes later, he was ready. He grabbed one of the vial and slowly, neatly, he extracted his memories of the whole affair and poured it down. Now it just had to hide it in a place where no one would ever find it and this grotesque story would be over. He checked the time on the large clock behind him ; Slughorn had most likely left his office for the Dinner. Good. He left his office, taking time to safely lock it by Charms then quickly went to his former office. He sneered : Slughorn's locking charms were way to simple to break, even an average student could have passed it. A few minutes later, he walked into the office and immediately went to the old cupboard. There he found his old Potions book that laid forgotten as if waiting to be found. He put the vial next to it and then left the office to attend Dinner. He suddenly felt a little better. Now he could finally focus on the one most important task at hand.

A few months had passed and Snape had only received a short note from Mrs Lenoir telling him that maybe his results were flawed as her daughter's condition hadn't improved at all. Yet, he had long forgotten all about this particular issue and thus he had not bothered writing her a proper answer.

He knew that Dumbledore had begun his meetings with Potter and that he was showing him some of his memories in the Pensine. And from what he gathered, everything was going well, except that the sneaky boy seemed to be determined to track down Draco Malfoy instead of tricking the old Potions Master into giving him his precious memory. That was yet another bother. The arrogant boy's attempts at killing Dumbledore were so bad-planned that he was putting his own life and those of his classmates in danger instead. He wished that Dumbledore would try to speak to Draco sooner than later. As for him, he couldn't risk his cover to be blown. If only Potter would stop behaving like his git of a father! But he wasn't, he was just like him, except for his eyes. Lily's. Until the end, he would only think of her. He was pulled out of his reverie with the sound of someone entering into his office. Only one person could cross his Charms like it was nothing. And soon enough, the old man with the twinkling blue eyes and the long white beard was standing before him, looking slighlty bothered.

"Headmaster, what can I do for you tonight ?"

"Well Severus, it seems that Harry has broken into my office while I was away yesterday and I highly suspect that he did so in order to use the Pensieve. Have you got any idea of why he would do such a thing?"

Severus felt his stomach sink. It couldn't be...or could it? But even if it was the case, there was no way he could admit to Dumbledore that he had hidden some of his memories inside the old cupboard in Slughorn's office. His promise to the insufferable Seer woman was preventing him from doing so. So instead, he replied with the steadiest voice he could muster:

"No. That's very curious indeed. But knowing Potter...such behaviour can be expected."

"Now, now, Severus. I didn't come to revive such an old quarrel. No, you see, what bothers me is that I don't believe that Harry would do such a thing for no reason. There must have been something he was very eager to know, to dare to do it."

"Have you tried to ask him directly?"

"No, I don't have any proof after all, and nothing serious has happened for now."

"Maybe he convinced Horace Slughorn to give him his memory and couldn't wait to see it."

"Yes, maybe...but I would have hoped he would have informed me first."

"Again Sir, it's Potter we are talking about. His curiosity is limitless."

"Well, you may be right Severus. I'm sorry to have come at such an importune hour. I shall take my leave now. I can rely on you to inform me if something were to occur."

"Of course Headmaster, you can always rely on me."

"That's fine. Good night, Severus."

"Good night, Headmaster."

Dumbledore had walked to the door when he looked back.

"Severus, there is really nothing you wish to tell me?"

"No, nothing. If something comes to my intelligence, I will tell you right away."

"Fine, fine. Good night."

And with tthat, he was finally gone. Snape was so agitated he wished he could run right away to Slughorn's office. But unfortunately, he would have to wait the morrow, at Dinner time again.

It was a sleepless night for Severus Snape.

Keeping out of the Potion's office all day was a torture. Thank Merlin, he didn't have class with the sixth years on monday for he wouldn't have been able to face Potter properly had he really found out about his memories. When Dinner time finally came, he rushed to Slughorn's office and noted with surprise that his guarding Charms had been upgraded. Still, he was inside in a matter of minutes. He was lucky that Slughorn never missed dinner time and was always among the first to arrive in the Great Hall. He walked to the cupboard, with a sentiment of dread so strong that he noticed he was sweating. He opened it in a brusque motion and right before his eyes was...nothing. Gone were the vial and the book altogether. He closed the cupboard and rested his back on it, closing his eyes. Why him? Why Potter of all people ? It was an utter disaster. He went out of Slughorn's office, almost forgetting to put the guarding Charms into place then walked back to his own office, like a ghost. Dinner was out of the question now. He was so engulfed in his own thoughts that he missed the hand floating in mid-air for a second and didn't feel the presence behind him. However, as he begun to open his door, he clearly heard the voice saying:

"I think there are a few things we need to talk about, Professor."

Severus immediately immedialety spun on his heels only to meet Lily's beautiful green almond-shaped eyes. Unfortunately, they were stuck on Potter's face who was now staring at him, angrier than ever.

"Go back to dinner, Potter. I have nothing to discuss with you."

"I think you do, Professor. Someone may be dying because of you right now, I think you owe her this much."

"I don't owe her anything, this—muggle girl. She's nothing. Forget what you saw. It was just the rant of a crazy woman."

"I don't think so. You see, after all what happened to me, I can never doubt Sights like before. Tell me all what you know. Who is this girl ? And how can I meet her ?"

"I said go back to Dinner Potter ! Or I summon Dumbledore this instant."

Severus attempted to open the door once more, with the intent to shut it on Potter's disgusting face that bore such strong ressemblance with his father's.

Yet, he were never to do that, for before he could open it wide, he heard the terrible words that would forever change the course of history:

"Legilimens."


	6. Chapter 6 : A decision

**Disclaimer :** Not a change here, everything is yours JK, as for me I only own the OCs and the plot ofc ! :)

This chapter is for you, MademoiselleRiddle, thanks for always reviewing, it boosts my writing so much ! So, I hope you'll like it and I too can't wait to start writing the 70's part. :D

So thank you all who are reading, liking, following this story ! ~

 **A decision**

He was unprepared. That was the only excuse he could think of. He couldn't have imagined that Potter would dare to do this again. But he could apparently. Maybe, if he had not spend so much time thinking it over, would he have been able to keep it conceal in a far away corner of his mind, like he knew he could have done. And most likely, hadn't he be bothered by the matter of the vanished vial, could he have muster the same control as ever. But he had been taken by surprise. And there he was, memories of the most important matter at hands flooding his mind.

 **"You must kill me. […] And my soul, Dumbledore. Mine ? […] Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry. […] So the boy...the boy must die? […] After all this time? Always."**

With great effort, Severus managed to yank Harry out of his mind. But it was too late. Given the shocked expression on Potter's face, it was clear that he had seen it all. Severus was too horrified to move. The sound of his door finally opening tore him out of his stupor and he stumbled inside his office. He had to act quickly. There was no way he could let Potter go with all this knowledge. It would shatter Dumbledore's plans, no doubt. There was only one solution : he had to take his memories right away! But chance was definitely not playing on his side for as soon as he got a hold on his wand, the arrogant boy came back to his senses and cast a quick but well-aimed Expelliarmus. He should have known it, like father like son. He stared at Potter, with both shock, anger, disbelief and above all, worry written all over his face. Things were not supposed to turn out like this! Nothing was going as planned because of this damn woman! How he wished he could make both her and her stupid daughter disappear from their existence. Years of hidden care and silent suffering, for that ! Just because of a muggle girl's entanglement to a long-deceased wizard. It was almost too absurd to be true. While Severus racked his mind to no avail to find a solution and knock Potter out, Harry had entered his office too and crumbled onto the nearest chair by the door.

He too, was shocked beyond words. So that was Dumbledore's true plan ? All along, he had known that he would have to die ? Then what about all the people that had already died for him ? Was it all in vain ? And Dumbledore too, was planning to die...and by the hand of Severus Snape no less! Professor Snape...the man who had always hated him from the beginning of his history through Hogwarts...and now the man who had been hopelessly, desesperately, madly in love with his own mother! His muggle-born was just too much in one go. So, at least, Dumbledore had been true when he insisted on defending the former Potions Master's actions. Harry shivered. He didn't want to die. Not yet. Not after all these people had already died for him. All these people who were grieving because of him. His thoughts wandered to Amos Diggory. Ever since Cedric's death, the once proud, boasting man had only become a shadow of himself to the point that his grieving wife had asked for divorce. For if she was still mourning her son's death too, she didn't want to share his resent. She was suffering equally but she would never put the blame on Harry, nor would she think that it was unfair that her Cedric had to die instead of the Boy-who-lived.

And now, Harry was learning that all this pain would never be put to an end. All of this because he, the Boy-who-lived, had to die. He possessed a piece of Voldemort's soul after all. Anger soon replaced shock. He couldn't accept this faith. Not now! Not after uncovering all these secrets. So, what if the prophecy could be avoided ? What if this Seer woman, coming from nowhere, could provide him with an other destiny ? An opportunity to solve everything, to end the deaths and the pain...

There was only one way to be sure though. And Harry had come to this decision. For the sake of all, he would try. After all, he was already condemned, so there was nothing to lose. And that's why after some time, he turned to Severus Snape who was still desesperately trying to think of ways to get the situation back in control, and asked him in the steadiest voice he could muster :

"I want to meet the girl."

The Professor cast him an undecipherable look. He was probably surprised that Harry hadn't asked any questions on what he had just found out in his memories. But he answered him with a final tone.

"You can't."

Harry stared at him, as if reflecting on his answer.

"Why not ?"

Severus sneered.

"She's probably dead already."

"What if she isn't ?"

"I won't let you. I won't allow you to mess with Dumbledore's plans!"

It was Harry's turn to sneer. Though his was in bitterness.

"Really ? Do you like the ending he planned for you so much, Professor ? Or maybe you're just happy to know that you won't have to watch after me forever ?"

"You! How dare you? You ungrateful, little-"

"I don't think I'm ungrateful, Professor. If I recall correctly, you're the one who asked Dumbledore to keep it a secret from everyone."

Severus's face hardened at his words. And controled anger sipped through his voice as he asked:

"So...you've really seen it all ?"

"I guess I did." Harry muttered.

"This is all this woman's fault, you should have never learnt anything about this, not until the end!"

"Pardon me Professor, but I think you're the one who had the brilliant idea to hide your memories inside the Potions room's cupboard. Don't put the blame on others for your own mistakes!"

Thinking about the cupboard reminded Severus of another matter.

"The book-do you have it too ?"

"What book ?"

Harry tried to sound as innocent and surprised as possible but he felt his confidence falter slowly under Severus Snape's glare. It was clear that the former Potions' Master didn't believe him at all.

"Now Potter, that's something you can't deny you share with your dear father. Both liars! Where did you hide it ?"

Harry's face was now twisted in anger too.

"That's none of your business, Professor. I think you should try to follow the kind advice given by some very wise people to you once, written on an old piece of parchment, if you remember..."

That was a low blow but Harry didn't feel any remorse. How could Snape keep on insulting his father! But he was not prepared for the DADA Professor's shocking answer:

"How lowly of you Potter, though that's no surprise coming from you...Like father, like son. But you see, I think I have full right to know the whereabouts of my own belonging."

"You're lying!"

"Am I now ? I'm not like you, Potter! And I'm pretty sure the name of the owner is still written inside, my name, the Half-blood Prince!"

"You-You can't be !?"

"Why ? Because I'm not a prince ? I'm certainly a half-blood though. For your information, Potter, Prince was my mother's maiden name."

Harry then recalled Hermione telling him and Ron about a girl named Eileen Prince. She was probably Severus Snape's mother. Harry felt almost betrayed. He had grown so close with the Prince over the last weeks, only to find out that he was the man who enjoyed making his Hogwart's life miserable. Harry felt his anger come back at once :

"That's lovely, I see now why you could find so much appeal to your former Master, a Lord and a Prince, both half-bloods, it must have been very comforting.

Severus's face was contorted with anger and he almost hissed his answer:

"Your arrogant father and his good-for-nothing friend would have been so proud of you now, Potter. So obnoxious, so insolent !...No wonder your death is necessary!"

As soon as he had said those words, Snape felt a pang, very close to regret, for he was reminded of Lily. And what followed only increased his guilt:

"Do you think this knowledge would have made her happy, Professor ? My mother...to know that the son she died for, has to die in the end by the very same hand that took her life."

"Don't! Lily..."

The pain and aching in his voice was enough for Harry to know that what he had seen inside Snape's mind was true; the man had loved his mother -and still did apparently. Then maybe he had a chance to succeed, to convince him...

"If you really loved my mother, then—how can you accept it ? Do you think she would be pleased to know what you've become ? To know what you've agreed to do ?"

"You have no right to judge me, Potter!" He growled.

"But look! In the end, you're always a mere follower! Whoever you're working for, you never take your own decisions, you just follow orders without questioning it. You're right, you're not a hero and you don't deserve praises either, it's just that guilt replaced greed at some point."

And for the first time since they had been arguing, Severus remained speechless. Harry's words had hit him with full force as he could see the truth of it. After all, all his actions had always revolved around her, his Lily. He had loved her, longed for her, mourned her, thought of her constantly. Dumbledore had told him that they needed to protect Lily's son for Lily, so he had. But now Dumbledore had told him that Lily's son had to die...Wouldn't that be bretraying Lily ? And if it was, who should he choose to remain faithful to ? Lily or Dumbledore. Severus finally turned to look at Harry, only to meet Lily's eyes once more. And that's when he knew : before Dumbledore's, he was Lily's man—always.


	7. Chapter 7 : Finding the light

**Disclaimer : **As ever, I do not own Harry Potter's world, only the OCs and the plot!

I know this chapter is a little longer than usual but it came out like that when I wrote it so...hope you all like it :)

Thanks to you all who are following, liking or commenting this story, you guys rock ! :D

 **Finding the light**

Désirée had been sitting at her vanity for a few minutes now and was still staring intently at her reflection. Three weeks had already passed since her mother had received a second letter from the Snape man, informing her that he had possibly drawn the wrong conclusions and therefore wished to see her daughter again. Désirée sighed, she was not stupid and neither were her parents, it was clear from the beginning that she was not only suffering from excessive tiredness. And she was certain that the Snape man had known it all along too. That's why this sudden plot twist came as a great surprise to them. However, her mother had seemed so relieved that she hadn't voiced her concerns out loud. And, to tell the truth, she didn't have enough strength left to argue.

She cupped her chin and let her index finger follow the line of her cheek ; over the last few months, she had lost so much weight that she had trouble adjusting to her new appearance. To the point that she always jumped when she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a mirror. She definitely looked hollow. Yet, the real hindrance was that she now had to use a wheelchair as her legs couldn't support her anymore. That had led her to put her studies on hold and slowly, boredom had made its way into her life. Truthfully, she didn't place much hope in today's meeting.

The voice of her mother echoed from the stairs to her room, reminded her to get ready and Désirée let out a last sigh before moving herself to her closet to retrieve her outfits for the day. As she began undressing herself, she repeated the plan in her mind. First, she would swallow the disgusting, smelly potion that Severus Snape had sent for her. That was supposed to give her the appearance of a muggle girl who was the handiccaped niece of the man she was pretending to go visiting today. Only she would _never_ see his face. Indeed, her mother would accompany her to St Mungo's Hospital where she would be left alone, at least for a couple hours. There, posing as his niece, she would ask for Gilderoy Lockhart, who would conveniently be doing his afternoon exercices so she would ask to wait for him in the gardens. And only then, if everything went according to plan, would she be met by Severus Snape and the boy her mother had once mentioned. Harry Potter or something. Ever since her mother had replied to Snape's letter, everyday had been spent carefully planning every detail of the meeting. Because, from what she had gathered, it was evident that her mother wished for this Dumbledore guy to remain uninformed of the matter.

Désirée shuddered, this man was probably very clever if they were taking so many precautions. According to Snape's latest letter, the Harry boy was pretending to visit one of his classmate who had been injured by a cursed necklace _–- she would know better than accept some piece of jewelry from a wizard-_. And Snape would accompany him to get him back to school. School...she really missed it. And she was curious to know what it was like, to study in a witchcraft school. She had asked her mother but...she had been totally opposed to the idea of bringing her to Beauxbatons. Gee.

When she was done with clothes, she wheeled herself back in front of the mirror and tried to apply some make up on her face: unfortunately, it was the only thing that could make her appear slighly healthier these days. But she wasn't too fond of it.

"Close enough." _she whispered to herself_.

The clock on the wall showed it was one in the afternoon. It was time to go.

Her father came to fetch her and bid her farewell before she joined her mother and a man she didn't know. She smiled a little, her mother had managed to convince Mr Shacklebolt to help her get to St Mungo's in the name of their old friendship. He had given them two hours and someone to apparate them here. Her mother handed her a small vial, probably the one that contained the Potion. It was smellier than ever, yet she had no choice but drink it so...it was even more disgusting than what she had imagined and only with great effort did she keep from spitting its whole content on the floor. Wizard folks were certainly very disturbed!

As she drew closer to the man, she felt a growing feeling of dread overshadowing the changes she was undergoing : what if only a part of her was to apparate ? Could one be dislocated into pieces through such things ? She gulped but still managed to stand on her feet to grab his outstretched hand :

"Stanley Cooper, miss. Nice to meet you."

"Désirée Lenoir." _she muttered_ "Same here."

With a flick of his wand, her wheelchair was reduced to the size of a nut and Stanley pocketed it immediately. He then gave her his arm to hold while her mother grabbed his other. And then, everything went black.

"Daisy, Daisy, you have to wake up, darling. We're here. You're alright honey, it was your first time apparating after all and given your condition..."

She heard her mother's strained voice before she could see her. Ah, so she had fainted. What a horrible way to travel.

"I'm fine...I guess."

Stanley helped her to her feet, then she was placed back into her wheelchair. She felt so useless. But she had to focus on the meeting:

"How much time has passed ? Are we still on schedule ?"

"Yes don't worry Daisy, you passed out for two minutes only."

Well, that was a relief.

"It's up to you now, honey. I'm staying back. Mr Cooper will only accompany you up to the reception area."

"I know, we're going then. See yah!"

"See **you**!"

"Yes mom, whatever you say. Love you too!"

And off she was. Stanley tried to help her by pushing her wheelchair but she angrily pushed the wheels on her own. Even if it cost her a lot now, she didn't want to give that up. He seemed to understand as he silently walked by her side until the gates. There he bent forward and told her:

"You're supposed to be very ill from now on."

"I know, sorry. If you please..."

Once they were authorized to enter the Hospital, Stanley pushed her to the reception where a round-cheeked, busy woman was welcoming the patients.

"Hello, Madam."

"Oh hello, Miss! Is it an emergency case ? What happened to you ?"

"It's nothing. I just came to visit my uncle, Mr Gilderoy Lockhart."

"Really ? But I thought Mr Lockhart hadn't any family left."

"Yes, any wizarding family. But his muggle sisters are still very much alive and so am I."

"Oh, I see! Of course, he was a half-blood. I remember now! A great thing you were all so acceptant of his gift. Well that's very nice of you to come and see him, especially in your state. You see, the poor man still hasn't recovered from the spell, he probably won't remember you at all."

"That's alright, I will be happy enough to see that he's well looked after."

"As for that, you don't have to worry, dear. And this must be your dad, I suppose."

"Oh no, Mr Cooper is only my attendant, given my state.

"So interesting, do all disabled muggles benefit from those kind of services ?

"No, unfortunately."

"I see. Well, let me check out his timetable. Mmm, sorry sweetheart but your uncle is currently doing his afternoon routine. You know, for his brain. And it might take an hour or two."

"That's fine. I can wait."

"Really? Well, I don't know if it's really safe for a disabled muggle to remain in a place filled with injured wizards of all kind..."

"Maybe you have a quieter place where I might wait, like a garden for instance ?"

"Oh yes, that's a good idea. You might just go there and wait. The weather is so nice today, it will probably do you some good. You just have to turn left, then right and it will be the last door. Mr Cooper will push you, right ?"

"No, he can wait for me in our car, really. I wouldn't force him to wait such a long time with me."

She faked a small, embarrassed laugh. The matrone looked slightly taken aback but just as she was opening her mouth to say something, her voice was drawn in the ruckus caused by the arrival of two desperate-looking witches who were carrying a creature half-human half-rabbit. From what she understood- _both were yelling really-_ the creature was a two-timing man who had wanted to boost his libido but had failed miserably. Désirée held back her laugh and took advantage of the situation to vanish in the direction that the matrone had previously indicated her. She didn't look back to see Stanley ; she had felt him leave his place behind her back. Once she arrived at the door, she managed to push it open by knocking her wheelchair sideways into it. She was now out in the open, in what looked like a neat, huge garden. The matrone had been right, the sun caressing her face was definitely a nice feeling. But oddly enough, the place was rather empty. She was probably the only one there. Severus Snape's information had been correct, most of the patients were probably doing exercices or resting after lunch. She located the corner mentioned in the man's letter. That was the meeting point. Now, all she had to do was wait...and hope her efforts hadn't be in vain. She was so tired that she could have easily fallen asleep there...

"Miss Lenoir, did you seriously think this was the most appropriate place to take a nap ?"

Désirée almost jumped out of her wheelchair, she had only closed her eyes for a few seconds. Yet, she relaxed slightly as she had recognized the voice. Sure enough, the pale, greasy-haired man was standing a few feet away from her, hair greasier than ever and an annoyed look plastered on his face.

"Oh hello Mr Snape, I didn't hear you coming."

"I noticed..."

His voice was dripping with sarcasm. Then slowly, he turned to someone standing behind him, that Désirée hadn't notice at once for he stood in the sun. He was a teenage boy with round glasses, crazy hair and a bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.

"This, is Mr Potter. Come over here Potter, at least show some manners in front of the person you were so eager to meet."

"Thank you for your introduction, Professor."

Oh oh, given his tone, it was clear that these two weren't exactly chummies—at all. She sighed inwardly. That was going to be one really strained afternoon.

"I'm Harry , Harry Potter. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Désirée Lenoir. Same here. I can call you Harry ?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well Harry, thank you for coming and...taking Mr Snape with you I guess..."

Both men looked slightly surprised. Harry had immediately noticed her accent though her English was really good. But he was reminded of Fleur. She was probably French too. He took a moment to examine her: pale blonde hair, blue eyes and fair skin. She looked quite common really.

"Why do you say that ?"

"Well, I'm not stupid enough to believe that Mr Snape had a sudden change of heart regarding my...condition, am I right ?"

Harry smiled.

"I guess you already know the answer. But we don't have much time, I thought that maybe we could talk about your mother's Sight or maybe you could just tell me your story..."

"Could it be that a human brain has finally started to develop in this thick skull of yours, Potter ? Probably a side-effect of Merlin's curse."

"I don't think so Mr Snape, in fact I believe that most people just adjust their level to the people they are talking to."

Now Harry was grinning broadly. That Désirée girl seemed nice enough. On the contrary, Severus Snape was looking very sullen at the moment.

"Anyway Harry, you're absolutely right. So, moving on to my story, to put it simply I was on holidays here in England, when I stumbled upon a moving picture of a group of wizards..."

"A team of Quidditch actually. Professor Slughorn probably lost it while he was squatting those muggle houses."

"I was going to say it, if you hadn't interrupt me."

She glared at the Professor.

"So yes, a Quidditch team of people who attended your school decades ago. And then, I don't know, it sort of "clicked" inside of me."

"What do you mean ?"

"It was like some kind of pull, a craving really. Every cell in my body was telling me to go and find _him_."

"Him ? Who is he ? Do you still have the picture ?"

"Yes, I got it back before coming. Here, look. It's him, center front."

That left Harry speechless. He knew that face. He had seen him at Grimmauld Square, Sirius...Thinking of his godfather still hurt him. But he was certain that the boy in the picture was the same one that Sirius had pointed as his brother.

"Regulus Black ?"

"So that's his name...I like it, it suits him, little king."

"Ok so...you have some sort of connection to Regulus Black, right ? But what's the deal with me ? I mean, I don't see how I can be of any help."

"Well, my mother had a Sight of us three."

"You too ?"

Harry had turned to Snape with a horrifed look. The latter smirked:

"Yes Potter, now do you regret setting up this meeting ?"

"Please listen, my mother told me you were involved in a prophecy, something that said you were the chosen one or whatever. I'm not saying it's crap or anything because I'm obviously not a Seer or a witch, but I can tell you this much : I'm going to die soon and so are you. As for you, Mr Snape, I believe you've already died a while ago, though I'm not sure why. So the three of us are condemned. No emergency gate. We already know the end of the story. Great, right ? Well, as for me, I don't want that. I want to be free to choose if I let go and when I let go. So, even if it means risking everything for one light, then I'm willing to do it. I want to believe that we can always find our happiness, even in the darkest of times."

When she had finished, tears were blinded her, but she bit her lip to keep it from falling. She didn't want to look weak. Her body could fault her, but not her mind. Not yet. Both men looked slightly moved by her speech as both were oddly reminded of Dumbledore's words from a few years ago but neither looked convinced nor determined to act.

She bowed her head in defeat when suddenly a ray of sunshine fell right onto her face. And as she was blinded, she was struck by an extraordinary idea. Maybe that was the light she had been talking about after all. She straightened up and looked at the two men standing before her. That was her last chance, so it had better work. She forcefully grabbed one of their hand, almost surprised at the sudden surge of energy she felt rushing through her.

"Now, do you feel it too ? The pull..."

She waited for a few seconds and then...it happened. Harry looked at her in disbelief. He immediately turned to the Professor's side for an explanation but was surprised to see his own expression mirrored into his face. And that's when she knew she had succeeded. They were feeling what she was feeling.

"What's that ?"

"That –is called a chance. A chance to be where you're most needed."


	8. Chapter 8 : Deal!

**Disclaimer:** JK, you're the master ! I only own the Ocs and the plot ;)

Now, about this chapter, I must first tell you that I'm against the idea that one can simply go back in a time period where he/she doesn't exist yet. Except maybe for Harry since he's the master of death and all. But apart from him I'm opposed to it because it shatters the principle of Lavoisier : "Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed" : you don't create a living from nothing! So I think it's ok for Hermione to go back for her classes or for Harry and the bunch to travel back in the cursed child, but I have a huge problem with Albus-Severus and Scorpius going back to a time they weren't born without taking the life of someone else there. It would cause some kind of rift, I mean the balance would be destroyed between the timelines. I hope it will explain some of the content. Enjoy ! :)

Thank you all for giving this story a chance !

MademoiselleRiddle: So glad you're still in ! Hope this chapter will give you some clues ;)

 **Deal!**

So it had worked in the end. Both had felt the strong pull to the 70s. Both had heard the voices, seen the faces. What a strike ! She wasn't even sure it would work. But it had somehow. And now they knew better than doubt her word.

Once they had recovered from their surprise, she saw that something had changed in their attitude, they were showing more interest, they looked more serious about it and Harry seemed almost excited.

The next hour was spent discussing the eventuality of a time travel. Désirée could feel that Severus Snape was still a little reluctant yet she suspected his worries weren't entirely related to the practicability. On the contrary, Harry was surprisingly eager to consider it.

"Why are you so willing to do that ? I mean, it's probably incredibly risky and I guess we might fail. Don't you have a great life now or just people you would regret ? You know sometimes, when I think of my parents, I feel like I could just let myself die...And then I'm reminded of –Regulus-I might begin calling him by his name- and I just can't give up on him. But you, I feel almost guilty. If it wasn't for me, you would still ignore all about your *erh* necessary death and you would probably be living your life peacefully with-"

At this, Harry snorted.

"Peacefully ? I wish...I take it you've never really heard about my circumstances before ?"

Désirée shook her head slightly, feeling uneasy.

"My parents died when I was little, they were killed by a dark wizard called Voldemort. He tried to kill me too, but he failed thanks to my mom. This scar is a reminder of our first encounter."

"What ? Have you seen him again ?"

"Yes, people thought that he had died but he came back eventually. And he's gathering more and more followers, some that he already had and new ones too. There's going to be a war soon..."

"That's-that's horrible. I didn't know about it at all. News haven't reached France yet. But what is expected of you ? You seem pretty famous..."

"Some have nicknamed me the Boy-who-lived-"

"Basically because he's the only known person to have ever survived the Killing curse."

"Wait, does it mean that in your world, some words can kill just like that ? That's insane! So you just go around and curse someone and then he lies dead at your feet ?"

"No, not exactly, people just don't go around and send Killing curses flying everywhere, dont' worry. It's part of a pack of three curses that are labeled as Unforgivable. And the Ministry of Magic is supposed to condemn their use. Besides, killing someone like that damages your soul."

"Why, Potter, it seems that you can learn some things after all."

Désirée grinned. Well, it was a beginning.

"Ok, so back on the "Boy-who-Lived" thingey, what's the deal ?"

"I was getting to it if I hadn't been interrupted."

Harry glared at Snape though Daisy felt that he was not so upset about it.

"Basically, there is a prophecy which says that I could be the one able to defeat Voldemort once and for all."

"Impressive!"

"Yeah, but that was before I learnt I had to die anyway."

Harry looked bitter. Well, he could be. His life sure seemed rather twisted.

"To be honest, I feel like I've had enough, I've seen enough too. Cedric and then Sirius. All because of me and I couldn't do anything, just watch and then...grieve."

"Sirius, you say ? Is it a custom among wizard families to name their children after stars ?"

"Only in the Black family."

"Oh yes, my parents told me about them. The blood-prejudiced, right ?"

"Sirius was not like that! But...his brother was, I guess..."

"His brother ? Who ?"

"…"

"Who is it ?"

"Regulus Black."

"Oh..."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I should have guessed already..."

Désirée looked slightly down but soon enough, a hopeful smile was back on her face.

"Guess I'll just have to prove him wrong."

"Yes."

Severus snorted:

"Good luck with that! Last time I saw him he was-"

"That's irrelevant! We'll talk about it another day. We don't have much time left. Anyway, Sirius was also my godfather and he was killed last year. He died trying to protect me. Like my parents! I want out! I WANT IT TO END!"

Harry was so tensed he had blurted the words out real loud.

"I want out and you're my way out. Besides, I felt it too...the pull. And I also feel like I can trust you."

Désirée laughed softly which made Harry looked slightly pissed.

"What ? You think I said something funny ?"

"No, not at all. It's really sad actually. It's just about you trusting me, I get that a lot but you're the first wizard who told me so."

"Must be related to Merlin..." _muttered Severus._

"Yeah, maybe...or maybe I'm just real trustworthy."

She cast him a dazzling smile but he snorted.

"That's all good Potter, but what happened to being Dumbledore's man ?"

"I'm not betraying him ok ? I'm just making another choice. And he's the one who hid things from me, forgetting to mention that I was a damned Horcruxe."

"A what ?"

"Later!"

Désirée looked at them in surprise : they had spoken at the same time. Both looked slightly disturbed by it.

"Maybe he was trying to protect you, Potter."

"Yes, or maybe he was just trying to use me, just like he's been using you for years. I thought we had reached an agreement on that Professor."

Actually, Snape couldn't help but feel guilty when he thought of Albus Dumbledore but Harry was right, for Lily's sake, he was ready to overcome it all.

"Then what about miss know-it-all and Mr freckles ?"

Harry felt a pang. He had tried to push Ron and Hermione out of his thoughts but deep down he knew that he would miss them terribly did he decide to go back in time.

"If I have to leave them in order to protect them, then I'm willing to do it."

"Harry Potter the hero is back..."

"For heaven's sake Mr Snape, could you please cut him some slack ? I mean, come on, we're a team now! And as such, we have to be able to work together, not get at each other's throat. Especially since you're the adult. You should make the first step."

Severus cast her a defiant and haughty look.

"We should make it quick, there is only half an hour left."

"Point taken, Harry. So, how do you go back in time in your world ?"

"Maybe we could use time-turners. Hermione-"

"Don't play dumb, Potter." _*Désirée glared at him*_ "Miss Granger could only use it for a few hours and no one can go back to a time they don't belong unless someone else dies or get sent forth."

"How can you be so sure ?"

"Because if you had paid closer attention to some of your classes Potter, you would know that you can't violate Lavoisier's principle."

"Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed."

Daisy provided quickly and Harry looked at her, bewildered:

"Wow, you know it too ?"

But Severus was the first to react:

"Lavoisier was a Squib. All muggles know this quote from their chemistry classes, am I correct ?"

"Yes, that's right."

"So what ? Obviously, we can't just come and say "hello would someone be willing to die for us or get sent into the future so we can write it anew?" !?"

"No, no Harry, we would never do that, that would be terrible...and I'm not even sure it works like that, does it Mr Snape ?"

"Obviously not."

It looked like he was about to add something but he pursed his lips instead.

"So how does it work, then ? No time-turners ?"

"I'm afraid not Potter, if such powerful time-turners did exist, I would be the only one able to get there without bypassing the law of time. But-we might still be able to do it..."

"How ?"

Désirée smiled at Harry, they had asked it at the same time.

"Well, the only way I know requires Merlin's blood and fortunately enough it seems like we have a descent of Merlin among our midst."

"So...do you have to take some of my blood ?"

"No, that won't be necessary. You just have to be there and focus on what you most desire."

"So if I just focus right now, we might land in the 70s ?"

"My, my, Potter, I think you've just found yourself a match when it comes to brain power. As for you, your ancestor must be rolling into his grave."

"Oh come on, you're not explaining anything! Don't forget that I'm a muggle."

"Trust me, that's not something one can just forget...Though you might want to start working on that since you'll have to convince your -erh soulmate."

Désirée glared at him but managed to calm herself somehow though her tone remained cold:

"Please, explain."

"Merlin's blood won't help us get over Lavoisier's principle but it will certainly help us go back in time. By crossing the Veil with a descent of Merlin-"

"Wait, did you just say the Veil ? The one Sirius-"

"Yes, the very same, Potter. Crossed by someone who possess Merlin's blood and magic, the Veil becomes a place of infinite possibility when it comes to time and place. It's like a kind of crossroad between timelines."

"That's amazing! Why don't the Ministry use it more often ? I mean they could-"

"Are you deaf, Potter ? This requires a descent of Merlin and it doesn't change Lavoisier's Law."

"But we have found a descent of Merlin, so why couldn't they do it too ?"

"Because you're wrong : we didn't find her, she found us instead. Merlin's descents have always managed to keep quiet about their bloodline. Especially since they are basically all Squibs."

"You don't need to say it with so much spite. It's rude."

Her pout and words vaguely reminded him of Lily and Severus felt slighly guilty. He didn't mean to say it with a spiteful voice honestly. It was just an old habit from a very bitter man.

"Your mother should have taught you her ways, then you wouldn't have been bothered by my tone."

"Erh... not that I want to interrupt or something but should I remind you that there are only fifteen minutes left !? So let me make a small recap: we can go back in time by bringing Désirée with us through the Veil , that's great but what about Livoisierrr's principle ?"

"L **a** vois **ier**."

They both corrected him automatically.

"Yeah, whatever." _Harry was slightly annoyed._

"That is the most dangerous part of the plan. I know a potion that could help but that's very very dark magic. And brewing it will require some time."

"What are its effects Mr Snape ?"

"Actually it's quite similar to the Polyjuice Potion, you take the appearance of someone else only it lasts forever and his or her soul and memories are replaced by yours. You're you inside of someone else. The two essences are merged into one but your memories and dispositions prevail."

"That's-that's just mental! So you basically take someone else's life ?"

"In a way, yes. You are reborn as someone else. This way, there's no creation, no real destruction, only a transformation."

"Are you telling me that you, Professor Snape, are willing to be born as someone else ? That's difficult to believe."

"But I wouldn't be reborn as someone else Potter, I already belong to the 70s, I will just start my life over again."

"That's cheating!"

"What ? Are you disappointed you'll lose your precious status as a living celebrity ?"

"You really-"

"Let's just hope you won't choose your father."

"My fa-wait that's actually gross!"

"Eww yeah, I wouldn't like to be reborn as my mom!"

"Then, if you're still willing to do it, you both know what you'll have to do for the next months: find someone who you're willing to be in the past."

"…"

"Well ?"

Harry looked hesitant but he finally said:

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll try to find someone."

Severus smirked:

"I pity him already."

"Shut up, Professor."

"That will be ten points from Gryffindor Potter and detention twice a week for the next two months."

"Erh...excuse me but how am I supposed to find someone who attended a school I don't even know of ?"

"Don't worry, I'll send you yearbooks for you to make your pick."

"Pfiou, ok, agreed. You can count me in too."

"Then I guess we have a deal ?"

Harry looked expectantly at them.

"Deal." _Désirée smiled._

"...Deal." _Severus sighed._


	9. Extra 1 : Who will be in the 70s ?

**Disclaimer :** Unfortunately, I'm still not the current owner of Harry Potter's world but JK certainly is!

 **Extra 1 : Who will be in the 70s ?**

Hey guys ! Only one chapter left and we're going back in time (Yay). Until I publish the next chapter (hopefully in March!), I'll give you this treat : all the characters that will make an appearance in the 70s (some will be mentioned only, others will be reaaaally important in the story). I've sorted them by houses and birthdates:

 **Slytherin :** Bellatrix (late 51 so attended Hogwarts at twelve)

Andromeda Black (53)

Lucius Malfoy (54)

Narcissa Malfoy (early 55)

Henry Greengrass : OC (56)

Augustus Rookwood (56)

Ned Parkinson : OC (57)

Terrence Bulstrode : OC (57)

Worschula Flint : OC (august 59)

Mindy Parkinson : OC (late 58 so attended at twelve)

Alicia Nott : OC (59)

Diana Greengrass : OC (59)

Amycus and Alecto Carrow (twins) (late 58 so attended at twelve)

Oliver Crabbe : OC (59)

Evan Rosier (59)

Justin Wilkes (59)

Severus Snape (60)

Avery and Mulciber (60 or late 59)

Regulus A. Black (january 61)

Eudoxie Goyle : OC (late 62)

 **Gryffindor** : Alastor Moody (december 55 so attended at twelve)

Fabian and Gideon Prewett (twins) (56)

Frank Longbottom (58)

Alexander Wood : OC (58)

Alice ? (Neville's mother) (59)

Benjy Fenwick (59)

Marlene McKinnon (59)

The Marauders (60)

Lily Evans (60)

Dorcas Meadowes (60)

Mary McDonald (60)

 **Ravenclaw** : Xenophilius Lovegood (58)

Pandora Cornwell (59)

Taylor Shafiq (male twin) : OC (59)

Prissy Rosier : OC (61)

Barty Crouch Jr (63)

Gilderoy Lockhart (64)

 **Hufflepuff :** Edgar Bones : OC (59)

Caradoc Dearborn (late 58)

Jemima Shafiq (female twin): OC (59)

I know I didn't put Barty in Slytherin but I thought that he was kinda brilliant (like extremely clever) and perhaps this trait ruled back when he was a kid. Anyway, it matches the fact that some thought that he might have been innocent (when he was captured) because ofc, if he had been in Slytherin, he would have been able to join the Death Eaters far more easily so people would have had less doubt.

And I know Slytherin outnumbers the others but I think the reason why is pretty obvious. ;)

Well, hope you enjoy it, and again, thank you so much for reading, liking, commenting, following...it makes me really really happy ! :D

Btw, can you guess who Harry and Désirée will choose to become in the past ? ;) Let me know if you have an idea !


	10. Chapter 9 : Time has come

**Disclaimer:** JK Rowling obviously owns the Harry Potter series. I only own the Ocs and the plot ;)

Sorry for not updating my story in so long but many things happened over the last months (some good and some really shitty) and it was just too much for me to cope with. So I had to take some time before writing again.

Thank you if you're still reading my story, and don't worry, I'll finish it though I can't promise regular updates anymore.

About this chapter, it's probably the longest I've ever written so I dedicated it a lot of time and energy. ^^ I hope you like it!

Thank you again for your support! 3

 **Time has come**

Harry had been browsing this yearbook for weeks now but he still couldn't decide who he wanted to become in the near future-or rather in the past. To avoid raising suspicions, he had coaxed Hermione into obtaining an access to the Restricted Section of Hogwarts' Library for him. There he could take his time looking up at the thumbed pages in search of his new identity.

He had become so focused on the matter that he hadn't managed to collect Slughorn's memories yet which had slighly upset Dumbledore.

He really had to decide quickly now. This way, he would also be able to spare some time spying on Malfoy whose behaviour was becoming shadier.

Harry sighed and tugged a bit on his unruly hair. This was really a dilemma.

After spending weeks here, he had eliminated a good deal of potential candidates, leaving but two of them. Both were oh so very different. And both appealed to him in a different way. Snape had been right when he had told him that he would _feel_ who he could be but he hadn't imagined that he would feel it for two individuals, let alone two that were so diametrically opposed. His eyes met the paper gaze of the first one and he was once against lost in his thoughts...only to be shaken off it by a hand firmly grasping on his shoulder. Harry almost jumped on his chair and immediately turned to face the intruder, wand pointed at him. Of course...it had to be him!

"Ah Mr Potter, always found in the most open, welcoming places. That would have been a disappointment to find you sitting peacefully at a table, just like your classmates are, learning your lessons on your books..."

"May I remind you that I need to find someone quick, Professor ?" _Harry muttered, placing his wand back into his sleeve._

"You must indeed. I must confess I find your set of choices very interesting...The original or the fake, the friend or the foe? Which one must I protect?"

Harry was bothered.

"I want to protect them all, watch over them. I'd like to change both their lives, make it better, safier if I can."

"Potter the hero! How surprising. Can't let go of fame, can you?"

Snape's eyes were met by a glare. That made him smirk in content.

"I don't mean to sound rude Professor, but could you please get out or mind your own business ? You're wasting my time here."

"Now Potter, I think your cheek is worth ten points taken from Gryffindor."

Harry sighed in exasperation. Would it ever end ?

"That won't prevent us from winning the cup, Professor. But I guess such behaviour can be expected from a former Slytherin. Too bad your students aren't earning points by themselves."

Severus' smirk had vanished.

"Earning points by themselves you say? Rumours of your supposed—gift in Potions have reached my ears Potter, needless to say I've been quite astounded at first by your new-found dispositions. I had even wondered if some sudden change had occurred during this summer, maybe..."

Harry felt his cheeks blush as he tried to keep on staring at Snape, who looked rather pleased with himself. He steadied his voice to answer:

"Actually yes, Professor Slughorn was asked to become the new Potions master this summer. He's a great teacher, really. No offence."

He couldn't help but smile at Snape's angry expression. He deserved it.

"I'm sure Professor Slughorn would be delighted to hear your praise, Potter. But I'm afraid I won't be the one to report to him. I already know you have my book and I'm pretty sure you have kept it safely hidden among your belongings until now."

Harry was screwed. He just couldn't let him have it back now, especially since he hadn't learnt all the spells it contained yet! He had to lie.

"I am sorry, Professor, but I'm afraid I didn't bring it today."

Unfortunately, Snape didn't seem to believe him at all.

"Then, may I suggest you to go retrieve it from Gryffindor's dormitories."

Harry looked at him in disbelief. How could he be so petty over small things when matters of higher importance were at stake?

"Really, Professor?"

"Too lazy to walk, Mr Potter ? You could ask one of the Creevey brothers to go get it for you, I'm sure they would be proud to carry one of your belongings."

Harry straightened his back, Snape was definitely getting on his nerves.

"Why do you want it now, Professor?"

"Because Potter, I hate to know that such incompetent and insolent boy such as yourself has managed to get his filthy hands on one of _**my**_ most precious belongings somehow."

Harry shrugged.

"Then why did you put it in the old cupboard, if you valued it so much?"

"That, is none of your concern Potter, just give it back to me. Or maybe you're afraid that your grades will drop drastically? The end of the myth...Professor Slughorn sure would be disappointed."

Severus was really enjoying the moment. He was eager to get his hands back on his book. And to hear about Potter failing in Potions... for he was quite certain that the boy hadn't inherited one bit of Lily's talent. Besides, even if she had been indeed quite handy, he knew she owed him a lot as he was the real thing when it came to dealing with all these vials. Her real talent had definitely been Charms as she had proved on countless occasions...

He was so engrossed in his memories of Lily that he had almost begun to forget about the angered teenage boy who was currently glaring at him.

Meanwhile Harry had been thinking of ways to keep the book but none of it sounded possible. If Snape was really determined to get it back, he would have trouble preventing him to do so. Feeling a surge of bravery and foolishness, he finally managed to utter:

"I want to keep it."

There, it was simple really. And from what he saw, the Professor hadn't expected such a direct statement. But he quickly regained his composure and his smirk fell back into place. Only he looked kind of interested now.

"You want to keep it, you say? But why would I let you have it, Potter ? To help you preserve your prestige in Professor Slughorn's class ? So fame does matter to you after all...even if you're so adamant on denying it."

Harry felt himself blush in anger.

"Fame has nothing to do with it! It's just that...it was well-written. And correct! The original book is wrong anyway. They should make a new edition with the Prince-I mean your corrections. I don't understand why you didn't submit it to the editor, to help the next gen you know...probably not very Slytherin feature though."

It was probably not the best way to make Snape comply to his request but he was growing exceedingly tired of his nasty comments. The man did look angry but Harry could tell that something in his reply had hit home.

"What do you know about my motives, Potter? How dare you assume things when you're obviously an ignorant little boy?"

Harry was surprised but he didn't let it show. Instead he replied with a cool voice:

"Just like you dare assume that I'm after popularity when I'm only being credited for events I obviously didn't choose. You might be surprised to learn that I would rather have my parents alive and be a gleeful nobody than the orphaned Chosen One. So I guess now we're even, Professor."

Severus was taken aback for he too, wished Lily was still alive. It was an other matter for James though...But now for the first time, he had to face the fact that despite how much he loved and missed her, her loss had probably more impacted the life of her son than his. And even if it hurt him deeply, he had to aknowledge that Harry's grieving was more legitimate than his, especially since he had lost her friendship years before her death. He stared at Harry but he was caught by his eyes, that were so much like hers. And for a moment he had the feeling it was _she_ , who was glaring at him from inside this copy of James. He inhaled deeply:

"I did submit it. Now are you surprised Potter? I submitted my corrections but it was rejected. You see, it was too humiliating for the author to admit that a mere student had achieved to point out all the flaws in his theory. And he was far too proud to correct his work...Gryffindor at its best!"

It was Harry's turn to listen in surprise. He had certainly not expected this twist. He even let the insult about his House pass without arguing. He just waited for Snape to go on talking.

"I'll let you keep it Potter...for the sake of Professor Slughorn! I believe he would be devastated to find out that his favourite student doesn't live up to his mother's standards. But...I have one condition."

Harry stared at him in confusion, wondering if he had heard him correctly. Had Snape really allowed him to keep the book ? But he had mentioned a condition so he had to be cautious, Slytherins will be Slytherins after all.

"What is this condition, Professor?"

"Leave Mr Malfoy alone. I know you've been spying on him for months now.

"Fine."

"Give me your word, Potter."

"You have my word, Professor."

"For all it's worth..." Severus couldn't help to mutter.

After Snape was finally gone, Harry went back to his task, carrying his books and notes to the Gryffindor Common Room. However, he was distracted by a white blurr flashing across his eyes before the window. He spotted Hedwig who was flying on the other side, carrying a letter for him. It was probably from Désirée as she had promised to keep in touch and discuss their choices.

As he opened the window and retrieved the letter from the snowy white owl, his guess was confirmed : Désirée was the only person he knew who wrote with this dark green ink.

He eagerly opened the letter and read:

 _Dear Harry,_

 _How are you doing? I hope you don't have too many magical exams! Sorry for the small talk but I would find it awkward to begin my letter with : "who is the (un)lucky person whom you'll be reborn as in our future past?"_

 _As for me, my condition hasn't improved one bit and I'm feeling more and more tired to the point of remaining almost daily in bed. Mind you, this gives me plenty of time to decide who I'll choose to be. And thankfully, I think I finally found her though I can't really explain how or why. I was scrolling through the yearbooks from 1955 to 1965, when I stumbled upon her picture and then I just knew it was her. Don't worry though, it's definitely not your mother. ;) I told my mom to ask Kingsley to investigate on her and his reply came yesterday. So according to his sources, she was a pureblood witch who came from a wealthy family. She belonged to Slytherin House and was noted to be rather shy and socially awkward (Yay!) . She ended up as an old spinster who founded a Manoir for Magical cats (does it really exist?). Anyway, she also had older siblings who married other purebloods and made adorable pureblood babies (from what I gathered). Her life might not have been very fulfilling so maybe I could change that! At least, that's what I've been telling myself everyday to avoid feeling guilty when I'll take over her life...How about you? Have you find him yet ? I hope you have, I can tell we don't have a lot of time left._

 _Well, see you!_

 _Daisy_

 _PS: I really hope you will receive this letter but I must confess that I'm still startled about having to give it to an owl..._

 _PPS: I just noticed I didn't tell you her name, silly me! I've chosen Worschula Flint._

Harry sighed. Now that Daisy had found her new past self, he had to find his quick. Besides, even if she tried to sound excited, he knew from Snape that her condition had terribly worsened. She hadn't much time left and so did they. His eyes once again traveled to the faces of the two men he was considering to become. Even if these photos had been taken in their youth, the first one was already hollow while the other looked really focused. He had to choose...and go to sleep, it was already 2 a.m! Harry blew on the candle next to him knowing that deep down, he was not fitted to become Barty Crouch Jr...

A few weeks had passed and Harry had managed to get Slughorn's memories after all, partly thanks to the Felix Felicis potion which he had earned at the beginning of the year in his class. Dumbledore had been very enthusiastic as both had found out about Voldemort's dark secret. Harry on the other hand, had been exceedingly bothered by this discovery. If he were to go back in time, he would have to look for these damned Horcruxes and destroy them before taking down his arch enemy.

Thankfully, he had finally decided on who he would become. It was now a matter of weeks before he would try to cross the Veil along with Snape and Daisy. The latter had been in touch and had approved of his choice after he had explained the circumstances. Over the past weeks, he had begun to see her as a friend rather than a sick, awkward girl infatuated with a long-gone wizard. Still she would never replace Ron nor Hermione. And thinking of those two, Harry felt a surge of guilt and sadness. Hiding his plan to them had become a real burden yet he knew they wouldn't understand if he were to tell them about it. Or worst, they would probably manage to convince him to stay. And he couldn't risk that because the pull was becoming stronger and stronger those days, to the point that he had experienced the feeling of leaving his body, just like Daisy had described to him in a letter weeks before. She probably didn't have much time left in their present time. So, whenever he felt down about leaving his best friends behind, Harry tried to remind himself that it was the only way he could grant them all a better future. It had to be worth it. He had to try and save them all.

On the night he won the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, catching the Snitch right under Cho's nose, Snape sent him a notice stating that the Potion would be ready in a couple of days. He had left the party early to focus on their mission, leaving a disappointed Ginny behind. Ginny...he had really been infatuated with her at the beginning of the year but now he couldn't even spare her a thought. She too, had to be left behind, even if it saddened him deeply.

Harry mechanically grabbed the family album Hagrid had given him years ago, hoping to find some comfort in the sight of another beautiful redhead whose green eyes were like reflections of his. If everything went according to plan, he would be able to meet her soon. And his dad too. That was kinda thrilling though he perfectly knew that in this time, they wouldn't really be his parents.

Yet Harry was snapped out of his reverie as he heard footsteps coming upstairs; it was only Ron who wondered why he had chosen to go to bed instead of partying in the Common Room. He had to come up with a good excuse but couldn't think of one so he finally told him he had a terrible case of Wrackspurts making Ron shake his head in disbelief. However he didn't insist and went back to the Common Room; he had grown accustomed to Harry's strange behaviour over the past weeks.

Harry sighed in relief but as his head _did_ feel fuzzy, he chose to close his album and really go to sleep this time.

Only three days later, Harry was asked to accompany Dumbledore on his mission to retrieve a new Horcrux. He rushed to his Common Room to take his invisibility Cloak at the Headmaster's request, send a short notice to Snape thanks to Hedwig and give the remainders of the Felix Felicis potion to his friends, warning them against Draco Malfoy who he believed would try something while Dumbledore was away. Then he was gone.

Meanwhile, Severus, who had been busy in his Office correcting students' homework, received the note from Hedwig. As soon as he had finished to read it, he threw it in the fireplace behind him and grabbed a new piece of parchment and his quill. He had to write to Louise-Anne : when Harry would come back from his mission, they would seize the opportunity to rush to the Department of Mysteries where they would cross the Veil along with her daughter so she had to be there on time. He quickly attached the letter to Hedwig's leg which immediately left for the little appartment Daisy was renting in London.

Severus took a sharp look at the golden clock which adorned the stone wall of his Office, he had just the time to check on the Potion and gather a few things before their departure. Everything was carefully planned; they had to succeed! In a few hours, his life would begin...again. And then, he would meet her again, his beautiful, lovable, brave Lily. Only this time, he wouldn't do the same mistakes...

Désirée was taking a last look at her reflection. In a few hours, she would be gone. This thought had helped keep her hopes up the past weeks as she had felt her strength failing her. But now that it was finally happening, she was scared beyond belief.

Snape had been in charge of collecting the needed parts of the people they would become _-he hadn't told her which parts exactly were needed and she hadn't been eager to ask-_ , he had also brewed the Potion and believed it to be perfect. Everything would be alright, she kept on repeating in her head. Still, she was properly terrified. And sad. She knew she had to do this, she was dying here after all but whenever she looked at her parents, she was overwhelmed with sadness at the thought of loosing them forever. Harry would meet his parents again and Professor Snape would start his life over but her...she would lose everything she ever had. And the thought made her shiver. Sure, she was supposed to meet Regulus Black, the boy who had triggered all of this when she had seen his picture. But what if he didn't care about her-at all ? Then, she would really be left with nothing to cherish. She sighed heavily. Now was not the time to have those thoughts, it was too late to back out from the plan. Severus Snape's letter had been very clear, she had to leave for the Department of mysteries in a few minutes. There she would wait for him and Harry near the Veil. And shortly after, they would be gone through it, just like that.

She heard the footsteps of her father coming upstairs. Here it goes, she thought. He tried to smile at her but she could see the sorrow in his eyes. His hair looked grayer than before, he too was suffering at the thought of losing his one and only child. Yet he knew it was the only way to save her.

"Are you ready, Daisy-flower?"

She nodded. He gently grabbed her and carried her downstairs where he placed her in her wheelchair. In her condition, she couldn't apparate at the Ministry of Magic so they had to go by car.

Her mother had arranged a new meeting with Kingsley for her. Only he would never get to see her again, not at least in this time: she would go directly to the Department of Mysteries instead.

Severus Snape had sent her a small vial of Pepperup Potion to help her walk for a few minutes since wizards were not really accustomed to see people in wheelchairs. He had also given her an odd sample of dark-coloured powder. The tag on it stated "Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder". Really, magical devices were quite handy, she mused. With that, she could easily avoid being seen while going through the Department of Mysteries. But she would have to be quick so she had to spare all her remaining strength for this one moment.

She kissed her father goodbye, holding back her tears in a desperate attempt to look brave and hopeful. He was the same, she noticed. Unfortunately, only her mother was allowed to accompany her to the Ministry. She was placed inside the car and she soon lost sight of her father. That's when the tears began to run down her cheeks though she remained completely silent. Her mother kindly looked away.

They finally came to a stop near what seemed like a very ordinary telephone booth. Daisy got out of the car by herself ; she had emptied the Potion and was now able to walk on her own again. The feeling was strange, she wanted to run and jump very badly but she knew the effet wouldn't last so she had to avoid any unnecessary effort. Besides, a strange thing was happening to her ears, it felt like steam was coming out of it. She almost panicked when she remembered one of Snape's letter which stated it was one of the side-effect of the Pepperup Potion. Good, she was not turning into wind yet, she was just looking like an angry bull, that was definitely much better.

She and her mother went inside the telephone booth and her mother dialed the number 62442. A moment later they were both standing in the Atrium. Even if she had already seen it once before, Daisy couldn't help but be impressed by the place. It was really huge and imposing. And what a crowd too! Thankfully, her steaming ears didn't seem to attract too much attention, wizards were probably used to it.

They quickly joined the flow of wizards and walked to the far end of the Hall where a set of double golden gates lead to the many access lifts. That was also where she had to bid her mother farewell. She held her tightly and whispered in her steaming ear:

"I love you Daisy, we'll meet again, you just have to believe. Good luck my beloved daughter."

Then she let go of her and went into the access lift that went to the first levels where Kingley's Office was. Once she was alone, Daisy took a deep breath and hurried to the access lift leading to the ninth level. When she was about to enter the lift, safely hidden behind the back of a tall man, she was careful to throw the black powder into the air in a swift movement. Everything went instantly black and she could only hear the wizards pestering around her. She exhaled in relief, first stage was a success. She was in the lift, her presence fully protected by the darkness. Now came the trickiest part. As soon as the lift would stop, she would have to sprint to the Death Chamber where stood the Veil. She would only have a minute or so, then the darkness would be removed and she would be exposed.

She managed to push herself near the gate to be the first to go out of the lift. Around her, the wizards were still pestering and pushing, some sounded angry while others sounded downright scared. She felt the lift slow down and her pulse immediately began pounding at her ears.

This is it, she thought.

The moment she heard the gate open, she literally jumped out of the lift and ran like her life depended on it. Oh wait! Her life did depend on it. Her heart rate was probably over 200 bpm by now and her breath was completely erratic. In the past, when she was still healthy and blissfully ignorant, Daisy had been a very good runner yet she wouldn't have been a match against her current self who, carried by fear, was almost flying through the circular hall of dark marble floor.

When she spotted the door she had been looking for, she firmly gripped the knob and opened it wide enough for her to slip in. On the moment she went inside, the darkness dissipated in the hall, that was close!

But in her hurry, Daisy had completely forgotten about the instructions given by Snape and she missed the first stone bench of the Chamber thus falling helplessly into the pit twenty feet below.

Despite her terror, her survival instinct took over and she tried to land in the best position to minimize the effect of the shock.

Still, when her feet, knees and hands met the stone ground she couldn't repress a whimper. It hurt. Really hurt. The effect of the Potion were starting to wear off and she almost collapsed to the ground. Her body was hurting everywhere though she was pretty sure nothing was broken. She was still out of breath from her wild run and her fright so she closed her eyes and tried to focus on her respiration. A few minutes later, she was able to open her eyes again and push on her hands to sit up. She took a look around and found herself facing an ancient crumbling stone archway. Inbetween hung what looked like a tattered black curtain.

"The Veil..." she whispered.

Now that she was calming down, she could feel the cold air of the Chamber and she naturally crawled closer to the Veil as if it would warm her up. At least, the archway provided her with a support for her back. She just had to wait patiently here.

However, her peace was disturbed by a noise coming from the top of the Chamber. Someone was coming in. Daisy immediately lay down on the ground, throwing her black wizarding cloak over herself in the process. She tried to hold her breath as she heard someone shouting "Lumos" and light came pouring upon the pit. She prayed that her cloak didn't stand out among the black stone and fortunately, it seemed it didn't. She hoped the person would just leave but she heard the voice shouting again "Hominum revelio". Daisy knew enough Latin to guess the meaning of the spell and she thought in despair "This is the end". She buried her face in her arms and waited for someone to find her. However, much to her surprise, no one came and she simply heard:

"As if someone would be there! Dang this stupid powder!"

She heard a door-closing noise and then nothing. This left her utterly bewildered as she couldn't believe her luck. She once again turned to the Veil and that's when something grabbed her attention. It seemed that when she had lay down, she had unintentionally put her feet through the Veil. She slowly removed them from it, fearing they had turned into dust or something like that but they looked very much like...feet. Her feet that is. This was slightly comforting. She put herself back in a sitting position, her back against the old stones of the archway. The Chamber was very still now. She was about to fall asleep when she heard a deep voice saying:

"What are you doing here, child?"

Daisy jumped a foot in the air and looked around to see who had talked but she couldn't see anyone. Maybe she was hearing voices. Probably another side effect of the Potion she had taken, she mused. She closed her eyes again when she clearly heard:

"Answer me child, what are you doing here?"

This time she was not hallucinating, she was sure someone had just talked to her. But where did the voice come from? Then she looked at the Veil and the evidence hit her, the voice was definitely coming from it!

"I..." But she didn't complete her sentence. What could she answer ? What if the voice came from a foe ?

As if sensing her doubts, the voice kindly added:

"You can speak freely child, the dead hold no grudges. You can trust me."

And trust him she did, even if she couldn't explain why.

"I want to cross the Veil. My life doesn't belong to my time anymore."

"Really? This is interesting. And pretty rare too. What time do you want to travel to?"

"In the seventies."

"Of which century?"

The question startled her. The man, for it was a man's voice, had to be very old.

"The twentieth."

"Really?" He sounded surprised.

"Time flies I guess."

"True, true. Especially when you're dead."

"When did you die?"

"A few minutes ago, if my guess is correct."

"Wow, I'm deeply sorry...But, why can I hear you?"

"That is kind of you, my dear. You mean, why can you hear me and only me?"

"What do you mean, only you ? You're not the only one talking over there?" Daisy was amazed.

"Why, child! You certainly didn't expect for the dead to remain silent forever! We are billions talking over there." The voice sounded amused.

"Then why can't I hear them?"

"Probably because you don't believe enough."

"Believe in what?"

But the voice didn't answer.

"Fine, then why can I hear you?"

"My guess is because you owe me that much."

"I owe you? What do I owe you?"

"Well, my dear, you once ruined all my plans."

"Did I?" Daisy was becoming increasingly lost by the minute.

"Yes you did." Came his quiet reply.

"But how? I'm pretty sure I don't even know you!"

"By your very existence. You may not know me personally but I'm fairly certain you've heard about me before."

"Well, I'm not going to say sorry for existing!?"

"No indeed, this is definitely not your fault. It was I, who didn't take it into account in my plans. I wasn't careful enough."

"I'm sorry for you."

"Thank you, my dear. I can see you're a kind-hearted person. Maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe this is for the best, after all. Though one can never be sure. But I'm certainly more hopeful now that I finally talked with you. Well, good luck Miss Lenoir, I fear this might not be a very peaceful travel. You will have to believe more if you want to succeed."

"Th-thank you, Sir. Rest in peace, I guess."

And as she closed her eyes once again, Daisy couldn't see the old face of the bearded man with twinkling eyes who was looking kindly at her from the other side of the Veil.

Daisy woke up to find a very angry Severus Snape leaning over her and shaking her shoulder roughly.

"Miss Lenoir, is it a habit of yours to fall asleep at the most critical times? Get up right now, if you don't want to die here!"

Daisy groggily reached out her hands and he promply helped her to her feet. She saw Harry standing behind him, looking dazed and immensely sad. She wondered what happened at his school but she didn't dare to ask. Now was not the time. Severus Snape retrieved a small vial from the pocket of his wizard robe and handed it to Harry who mechanically took it.

"Potter, drink this immediately, now is not the time to mourn the dead! If we don't hurry, we might join them sooner than expected."

This seemed to give him back some spirit and he began drinking the Potion. However, he almost spat it out and made weird noises. Probably doesn't taste very good, Daisy thought.

"This is disgusting! Even worst than Polyjuice Potion! What did you put in it, Professor?"

"Trust me Potter, you and your little friend don't want to know. Now drink it and be sure to swallow every single drop."

Daisy and Harry shared a horrified look. What if it contained bones and blood?

Meanwhile Severus had turned to Daisy.

"Miss Lenoir, you'll go first and you will hold Potter's hand. By no means, must you let go of his hand, do I make myself clear?"

"Very clear, sir." She was tensed again, he looked so serious!

"What about you?"

"You will be holding my hand, Potter."

"What, why me? Do I really have to?"

"You will do as you're told, Potter. For once, don't you dare argue with me!"

Harry went immediately silent and finished drinking his Potion, looking green from the horrible taste.

"Now, miss Lenoir, you must focus on the time you want to travel to."

But Daisy's brain was a bit frantic at the moment and she could hardly focus on one single thing. Snape must have sensed it for he said:

"Focus, miss Lenoir, this is our only chance! In a few seconds maybe, the Ministry Officials will find us here and you will die!"

Daisy came back to her senses at once. She pulled out the old photography from her pocket and stared at it. "I want to be where you are" she thought over and over. "I want to be reborn as Worschula Flint...and Harry must be reborn as the one he chose. Please, that is my wish!" For one second, she thought nothing had happened but when she lifted her head, she saw that the Veil had parted in two. Time had come. Snape handed her a vial of Potion and she began drinking it.

However, at the very moment, a loud blast was heard from above and spells began erupting in all directions. The Ministry Officials had found them. Then everything happened in a hurry, Daisy let go of the photography which fell to the ground and reached for Harry's hand instead. Severus did the same with Harry's other hand and the three of them run to the path in the Veil.

They were almost there, Daisy's left hand was holding Harry's like her life depended on it while the other was trying to pour the horrible mixture down her throat. But as she crossed the Veil, one of the spell managed to hit the vial which exploded in her hand. As she gasped in horror she turned to look for Harry and Snape, fearing a spell had it them too but they looked alright and the Veil was closing itself behind them. They were safe. Yet as soon as the two parts of the Veil became one again, they were all engulfed in darkness.

"Where are we?" She asked in terror.

"I don't know." Harry replied, squeezing her hand.

"I think we are in Time." Came Severus' answer.

"Oh Lord, is it normal?"

"Nothing is normal in traveling back in time, miss Lenoir. But yes, I think it is part of the process."

"Mr Snape, I-I think I didn't drink all the Potion..."

Severus sounded extremely tired as he replied:

"Yes, I saw what happened."

"Is it bad?" Daisy feared his answer.

"Yes, pretty bad. It means that you will turn back to yourself at some point."

"Then, my c-"

"Yes, your curse will be back into place and you will once again be a muggle." He interrupted.

"Oh no!" She began crying and Harry gently stroked her hand in sympathy.

"That is why you must-". But Snape himself was interrupted as they started falling endlessly and were all separated by an invisible force. As Daisy began losing consciousness, she heard faintly:

"Spare your magic at all costs! At all costs! If you don't you will-"

Then a terrible pain came and...nothing. She was in limbo...and she wasn't. She opened her eyes and she cried and cried. And as her cry echoed in her ears, she realised they had succeeded. This was definitely a baby's cry.


	11. Chapter 10 : Freaks (part 1)

**Disclaimer:** JK Rowling obviously owns the Harry Potter series. I only own the Ocs and the plot ;)

Wish you all a happy new year !

I had to split this chapter in two as it was becoming waaaaay too long for my taste. So this part will focus exclusively on Worschula/Désirée and the other will focus exclusively on Severus and Harry/?.

Hope you will enjoy ~

Thanks to all of you for reading, don't hesitate to leave a comment! :)

 **Freaks (part 1)**

Little Worschula Flint had always felt she was different from her siblings. She did not possess their dark hair and brows nor did she share their taste for sulking and complaining.

As she sat across from them at the dinner table, the difference looked even more striking.

Marcus Jr, the eldest, was as dark, gloomy and grumpy, as a Flint could be. He was the one who had to live up to the expectations of their family and this prospect didn't make him any happier. Yet, Worschula was quite fond of him for he never completely ignored her, unlike the rest.

The rest stood for her father, mother and older sister, pretty Vera Flint. The latter was terribly vain and equally stupid but her silky dark curls and generous curves were her insurance for a good marriage. Hence she also had her fair share of family expectations. Indeed, ever since great-grandpa Flint had lost half their wealth to gambles with Goblins, the Flint family could no longer afford to spend too much on their female offspring but given her potential, Vera's beauty would be complemented by a good dowry.

Meanwhile, little Worschula with her clumsy demeanour and dull, faded-blue eyes, was only expected to grow into a quiet, respectable old spinster for _she_ , would have no dowry ever. There were of course some young men who would take a bride for nothing, but these men were certainly not worthy of a Flint, or so she was told from an early age.

"Worschula! Your soup is getting cold..."

Worschula's round eyes met her father's stern look. He was the one who had pulled her out of her thoughts, as always. Her father hardly ever talked to her, except to scold her a bit. He had never shown any affection for her or her siblings but he seemed to hold his older children in higher regard as he occasionally spent some time with them, sharing their interests.

When she was only a toddler, Worschula had once overheard a conversation between some of her parents' pure-blooded acquaintances. The ladies were whispering about her being a child "born from an affair". Even if she had not quite understood the meaning of it, she had sensed it was a bad, disgraceful thing and could explain her father's complete indifference to her fate.

She quickly swallowed the last spoonful of soup in her bowl but as she hasted, she choked on it and began coughing loudly.

"Always stuffing yourself like a pig when you are already this fat! Merlin, who gave me such a rude, disgraceful child!"

Her mother sighed and looked at her in disgust, she would always call her fat and never used her name. Worschula was certainly not fat but she had a round face and a chubby little body, unlike her siblings.

She looked down and bit her lips, trying to hold back her tears. Even if she was used to it, her mother's comments were still painful to hear. After all, Worschula was only a 6-year-old girl and a very emotional one too. But in her sorrow, she was comforted by the thought that her mother wasn't mean to her on purpose. Indeed, Ms Flint had always treated her three children with equal disinterest and annoyance. The only difference was that the two teenagers didn't mind anymore.

Once they were allowed to leave the table, little Worschula ran to her bedroom where she could cry to her heart's content. Her room was neat and clear with a nice four-poster bed and a little desk. Everything was in green or white with hints of silver, as any aspiring Slytherin's room ought to be. It didn't bother Worschula for green was her favourite color and she also fancied silver as something "classy". Out of all the rooms in the Flint mansion, her bedroom and the library-lounge were her two safe havens as fortunately, she was the only reader of the family.

The Flint didn't like to spend much, especially for their children but they still wanted to look smart and well-off with other pure-blooded families thus books on all subjects and odd magical objects could be find in every corner to the little girl's delight.

When she was sad, like tonight, she always cried herself to sleep and dreamt of her fairy godmother. Worschula _did_ have a godmother but she was far from a fairy and had never cared about her one bit. The fairy godmother of her dreams, on the other hand, was a gentle person with a soft voice who would always hug her and kiss her and tell her that she loved her very much. Everything about her seemed so familiar that sometimes, Worschula imagined that she had been adopted and that she was her real mother. But this lovely thought never lasted as she well knew it couldn't be true. That's why she believed her to be her fairy godmother, who watched over her from another world. Thanks to her, Worschula was not as unhappy and pitiful as she would have been otherwise. Sure, she was a lonely, wistful little thing but she had the secret comfort of someone who cherished her.

When she woke up the next morning, sun rays were softly caressing her face. It would be a beautiful day, or so she thought.

Toby, their house-elf, had already prepared her some breakfast and the clothes she had to put on for the day. Only dinner was served in the Dining Hall with the whole family.

Worschula washed her face then dressed up slowly and carefully. She liked being dressed nicely but her mother had a terrible taste and only picked cheap outfits with too much frills and ribbons which made her look ridiculous. Once she was fully dressed, she brushed her hair and attached it into pigtails. She had removed the ribbons on the scrunchies but she didn't dare do it for the dress in case her mother noticed. Worschula liked her long, straight hair but, just like her eyes, it was a very dull color, a faded ginger without gloss.

Finally, she was ready for breakfast. But as she began eating her porridge with pumpkin marmalade, she heard someone knocking at her door.

"Worschula! Mother is waiting for you in her boudoir, she has something to tell you, hurry!"

This was definitely her brother's voice. She quickly swallowed the remaining spoonfuls of porridge, choking a bit in the process, and came out of her room under her brother's bored look.

"You're really too fragile, choking every time you eat...Try to be a little more careful."

Worschula nodded in response. She knew it was his own way to care for her. She hurried to her mother's boudoir, tripping on almost every steps of the staircase. After she had softly knocked on her door, she entered the room at her mother's command. The latter was sitting in front of her vanity, arranging her hair in a giant bun which was a poor imitation of Ms Black's famous, elegant one.

"Don't just stand there and don't stare, it is so rude! This child, really! You'll be the death of me..."

"Sorry, mother." Worschula looked away and sat silently on one edge of the large couch that was located near her mother. Then she waited for her to speak.

"Now, you know how Ms Black has so much to tend to these days because of her niece Andromeda's upcoming departure for Hogwarts. Well, she owled me this morning to know if you could come and play with little Regulus while she will visit her sister-in-law with Sirius. Of course, Kreacher will be there too."

Worschula had to hold back a big smile as she was overjoyed by the news. From the moment he was born four years ago, she had deemed him to be the most precious little thing she had ever seen. Whenever her mother was invited for tea at number 12, Grimmauld Place, Worschula came with her to play with Regulus and look after him since his older brother prefered to play with his toys and cousins. This was pretty convenient for Ms Black, who didn't wish to pay someone to play with her youngest son.

"I would be delighted to go, mother."

"Perfect. You will leave after lunch."

"By floo?"

"Of course not, you silly child! You don't want to look messy in front of Ms Black!"

"I'm sorry, mother..."

"Toby will apparate you there."

"Yes, mother."

"Now leave, I must get prepared for my luncheon."

"Yes mother, have a nice day."

Worschula quietly left her mother's boudoir. She always dreaded those moments so she was extremely relieved when it ended.

She had a few hours to kill before lunch and there was no one to play with so she settled for the library.

The room was very large, probably the largest of the whole mansion, with many books and sofas to sit on. It was also used as a meeting room when her father received other pure-blooded wizards with the same political opinions. Worschula liked it for its large, dark curtains which hid nice nooks to read. She didn't really know how she had learned to read, in fact it had almost come to her naturally, as if she had always known the letters and the words. It hadn't surprise her parents at all as they didn't pay her enough attention to guess that she could understand what was written. To them, she was only looking at the letters and images with an odd interest. But to her, it had been a big surprise, especially when she had understood that other children couldn't read like she did. Yet the most troubling thing was that she could read in french as well. The very idea seemed quite preposterous as none of her family members knew the language. Thankfully, no one had noticed as only the Blacks and the Malfoys had french books and Worschula had been careful to hid herself when she read these.

Today, she wanted to read about immortality, one of her favourite subjects. She picked a book about Nicolas Flamel and his wife and sat comfortably in her usual nook.

When she was done with her reading, it was almost time for lunch so she went back to her room and waited for Toby to apparate her meal. Fortunately, he was a great cook and kind enough to take her requests into account so she was usually well-fed, except when she was punished.

A few minutes later, her beloved vegetable lasagna apparated on her desk with a note from Toby telling her "Bon Appétit miss" and that she had to be ready to leave in one hour. It was positively delicious and Worschula forgot all about her meeting with her mother, focusing on the time she would spend with her sweet Regulus instead. When she was done, she snapped her fingers and her plate and cutlery vanished. She brushed her teeth and hair, re-did her pigtails and went down to the entrance corridor where she patiently waited for Toby.

A few moments later, she grabbed his tiny, gnarled hand and they both apparated on the steps before the number 12, Grimmauld Place. He helped her keep her balance and handed her a soothing medicine for her tummy as apparating made her sick. Once she was back to her normal rosy cheeks, he rang at the door and Kreacher opened it for them. Worschula liked him quiet a lot as he took good care of Regulus so she smiled warmly as she said :

"Hello Kreacher, I hope you have been well since last time."

"The little miss Flint is so nice for Kreacher, Kreacher is glad the little friend of Master Regulus came to visit again."

He let them in and guided them through the grand entryway, lit by gas lamps and a magnificent chandelier. Worschula was always intimidated by the ornated portraits hung on the walls and all those snakes drawn in almost every corner. She did like green best but she wasn't too fond of snakes. Ms Black had probably already left so Kreacher immediately took them upstairs, on the topmost floor where Regulus' room was situated. As she climbed the remaining stairs, she heard the sound of a door opening and closing and little Regulus soon came running to her, welcoming her with an hopeful smile.

"Chula!"

"Reggie! Come here."

She bent to hug and kiss him. Now began her afternoon of perfect bliss!

Unlike Sirius, who was full of mischief and liked to smirk, Regulus was calm and sweet which had a very positive effect on Worschula.

He was really attached to her because, contrarily to his older brother and cousins who looked down on his age, she never minded playing with him.

She let him grab her hand and lead her to his bedroom where all his new toys laid ready to be used.

"Look! Look, it's new! Like it ?"

"Yes, I like it very much, it's so cute!"

Regulus was showing her a furry dragon that could fly.

They played with his toys for a while, imagining games and battles of dragons then she suggested to go to the drawing room where she could do some story-telling. This was their favourite activity as she had a real talent for it. She would imagine a whole story where they were both heroes who had to save the magical world from evil. Together, they mimicked the moves, screamed like warriors and avoided imaginary attacks from enemies. Even Kreacher who was usually very stoic and strict liked to brandish imaginary swords.

But as they were on the verge of saving the Minister for Magic himself, the door sprang open to reveal none other than Sirius and his cousin Bellatrix. The latter was almost fourteen years old and Worschula feared her more than a Banshee. Everybody knew she was mean, cruel and terribly conceited. As a child, she already reveled in bullying other children, especially those she found infinitely inferior to her and unworthy of her time. The only ones who seemed to find favor in her eyes were her sisters and cousins but to someone like Worschula, she was nothing but taunting and disdainful.

Yet, despite this behaviour, she was constantly praised for her impressive magical skills and strong will. Her only affliction came from being a girl as her attitude was judged unbecoming for a Mistress of the Noble House of Black.

"Oooh, Baby Fake-Flint came again today! Tell me, how is it to live in a family who doesn't give a damn about you ?"

Worschula bit her lips to prevent it from trembling as she didn't want to look weak. Bellatrix well-knew she wasn't her father's daughter that's why she always called her Fake-Flint to mock her.

"Mistress Bellatrix shouldn't say such things, it is unworthy of a Black!"

Kreacher liked Bellatrix well-enough but he had been ordered to correct her behaviour whenever it was not as expected.

"Don't talk like this to Chula!"

"Back off Reggie, you had better teach him some useful things Sirius, our little Reggie here is way too nice!"

"Mommy's boy."

Sirius laughed as he said this and his laugh sounded like a bark.

Meanwhile, Bellatrix had drawn near Worschula and was weighing her up, a nasty smile plastered on her face.

"Well, well, do you know that you always manage to amaze me somehow ?"

Worschula didn't answer, she smelled something fishy for Bellatrix Black had _never_ been nice to her before, not even once.

"You don't know? I'll tell you why. You see, each time I see you, I feel so certain that you couldn't possibly look any uglier but then, I see you again and...you prove me wrong! That's quite an amazing feat, isn't it Sirius ?"

Sirius' answer was an other laugh. He wasn't mean like Bella, nor was he particularly nasty but he liked to taunt too and the little girl, who prefered his baby brother's company to his, greatly annoyed him.

Worschula's lips were now bleeding from being bitten so much but fortunately, Bellatrix didn't seem to notice. However, the taunting was not over.

"Look at me when I talk to you, little eyesore!"

Worschula raised her chin a little but tried to avoid the teenager's glare.

"Do you know what I've heard today, Fake-Flint? I've heard that you still hadn't shown any sign of magic! You're a little squib, aren't you ?"

"Don't talk to little Mistress like this!" squealed Toby.

"Mistress Black really shouldn't use such ugly words, it is not-"

"Oh shut up, you too!" Bellatrix rudely interrupted Kreacher and cast Worschula's one last dirty look.

"It's not my fault if she doesn't show any sign of magic! _I_ displayed it when I was only a week old."

"But dear Mistress Black is from the-"

"Noble and most ancient House of Black, I already know it you stupid elf!"

"Ooh, but look, little Fake-Flint is crying! Now, now, you shouldn't cry for this...After all, even if you were a squib as I suspect you are, it wouldn't be so bad. For all we know, you might even descend from filthy muggles! You'll just be disown and have no dowry and -silly me! But you've already got no dowry! So you see, it won't make a difference.

Bellatrix cackled at her own nasty joke and, with her beauty and evil nature, she reminded Worschula of the Evil Queen, a character she had once encountered in a muggle book left in the streets. The little girl couldn't hold back her sobs anymore so she fled to Toby and told him she wanted to go home. Regulus tried to grab her dress to prevent her from leaving ; the little boy was at a loss, he hadn't fully understand what his cousin had said but he did understand that it had made his playmate very unhappy. But Worschula gently released her dress from his grip and whispered "see you later" before vanishing with the house-elf.

As soon as she was home, she ran to her bed and cried to her heart's content. Bellatrix had successfully hit her sorest spot—again. Pureblood children were expected to display magic very early but to her parents' disappointment and shame, Worschula seemed to remain completely impervious to it. Magical devices didn't even respond to her, brooms included, which was very annoying for a Flint as they usually took pride in their Quidditch skills. Her brother, who would be a sixth year in september, was already Captain of the Slytherin team and her sister played Chaser for them, when she was not too busy dolling herself up.

She was used to being asked about it and being regarded as an intruder by both adults and children, but it still stung.

As far back as she could remember, Worschula had always longed for magic. But each time she had been on the verge of feeling and expressing it, she had heard a voice echoing in her head, urging her to "spare her magic". Because of it, she had had to learn self-control very early to avoid transforming her will into something tangible. For any "normal" child, it would have been impossible to do, but Worschula had noticed on more than one occasion that normal rule did not apply to her. She was sometimes under the impression that her mind was more an adult's than a child's. She had come up with the idea that maybe she could remember her past lives yet she was not sure reincarnation did exist, even in the magical world. And she did behave and think like a child most of the time...so she could very well be a genius kid. However, with her clumsy demeanour and small lisp, she guessed no one would ever suspect it nor believe it.

Most of the time, she could bear with looks and comments but Bellatrix Black had a knack for making people feel bad about themselves. Moreover, it was tiring to have to keep her motives hidden as nobody would understand her concern.

When she was finally done crying over Bellatrix' nasty comments, she quietly left her room and went straight to the library where she hoped she would get lost in a book and forget about her worries.

It was only 5pm and dinner would be served in two hours, it was exactly the time she needed to finish a good book. This time, she settled for "100 ways to get rid of your enemies", a book she found interesting but didn't fully understand as it refered to magical concepts she had never heard about. As she was making herself comfortable in her usual nook, she suddenly heard voices coming from behind the door and soon enough it was opened wide to let many people in.

Crap! Her parents had mentioned a meeting held at the mansion a week ago but as she was not concerned, she had conveniently forgotten all about it! She took a glance from behind the heavy curtain and realized it was too late to attempt a discreet exit. She would have to remain hidden until they left. She cowered in her nook, hoping her feet didn't betray her and tried to muffle her breathing as she feared to be discovered. She took another glance and this time she had to stifle a gasp. Among this powerful men's assembly stood none other than Bellatrix Black, her head held high and lips curled in a scornful pout. Worschula felt her heart rate increase as she couldn't help but fear the older girl, especially after their encounter in the afternoon.

The men were beginning to take a sit around the table which had been magically expanded for the occasion. The only sit which remained empty was for the man who would preside the assembly. Worschula was surprised, she had thought her father would preside since the meeting was held at his house but it was quite the opposite. The seating plan seemed to follow some kind of hierarchy and it was evident that her father's position was not among the highest. He was presently trying to sit beside Nott who had secured a good place just to the right of Abraxas Malfoy. But as he was about to sit down, Bellatrix strode up to him and claimed the seat for herself. Her father seemed rather taken aback by her nerve and Worschula felt her blood boil.

"This is my seat." said the young Black girl.

"It is certainly not." answered M. Flint, his voice betraying some irritation.

"I can assure you it is, Flint. Now move, I don't want to be standing there like a stupid pole when _He_ will come in." she was seething.

"You might be a Black but you're still a teenager and as such, you had better learn to respect your seniors! I won't let you have this seat. Find another one."

"You, I swear you'll regret it, move or I shall curse you out of this seat!"

Worschula had never seen her so angry before, she looked positively mad. Tears of rage were even shining in her eyes, which was surprising coming from her. Surprisingly enough, neither her father nor uncle were trying to intervene to calm her down, they both looked bored as usual.

"How dare you speak to me like this? You are an insolent girl who doesn't know her place!" now it was her father's turn to be angry.

"Better be insolent than clumsy, ugly and magic-less!"

This was a low blow as she knew all too well that Worschula's case was a sore spot for her family. She had gone too far this time, Cygnus Black had to intervene:

"Bellatrix! You will apologize to M. Flint right away! And take an other seat for Merlin's sake..."

"I shall not! Father, _He_ promised me that I could have a good seat today!" she looked almost desperate, Worschula noticed.

"You have heard your father, mo—"

"Let her sit." rose a high, cold voice.

All heads, including Worschula's, turned to take a look at the man who had just talked and presently stood in the doorway. He was tall and thin, and had probably been exceedingly handsome once. But now his features seemed waxy, almost reptilian. The little girl felt oppressed. It was as if this stranger had brought a dark atmosphere with him. His voice had even sent a chill down her spine. Everything about him screamed "evil". From the look on the men's face, it was clear that they too, were intimidated.

"But-" her father tried to protest.

"I said, let her sit." his tone was final and the coldness of his voice filled the entire room.

Bellatrix looked as if Halloween had come early this year, she was all pride and joy. But as soon as she turned to M. Flint, her smile was replaced by a smirk of triumph.

"I did tell you, didn't I? Move now!"

Worschula felt pained by her father's humiliation. Had she been older, she would have left her hideout and strangled the older girl. But for the moment, she could only growl in anger. Unfortunately, the reptilian man immediately looked in her direction, as if he could see her through the heavy material of the curtain.

"I fear we have a surprise guest among us tonight." the cold voice said again.

All the guests were surprised by this statement but her father followed the stranger's gaze and seemed to understand the situation.

"Show yourself, child."

Worschula hesitantly left her nook, she secretly hoped her father would excuse her and send her directly to her room. She didn't want to face the dark stranger. Her heart was beating faster as she moved forward. Fear was about to overwhelm her when a little voice began talking inside her head. It would repeat "he's only human, he must have a weak point" and "I don't fear other humans" over and over. As the voice talked, her fear vanished little by little and she was able to walk the last steps that separated her from the assembly quite confidantly. The stranger was now two meters away from her at most, his face expressing both contempt and mild interest as he saw the book she was carrying with her. She bit her lips, it was not very clever of her to carry it around, especially in front of him.

"So this is the child you told me about, Bellatrix?"

"Yes, Lord Voldemort."

"I see...You were quite right, I have seldom seen such ugliness in a child."

Some of the men in the assembly snorted while Bellatrix looked at the alleged "Lord" in something close to adoration. Worschula clenched her jaw and gripped her book even tighter. She didn't mind critics coming from her family and close acquaintances but she wouldn't tolerate it from a mere stranger, even if said-stranger were a true Lord.

"Better be ugly on the outside than on the inside."

"I have to disagree. I think that if you're ugly on the outside, nobody will approach you."

"Only the people who are worth it. While if you're ugly on the inside, there will come a day when your outside will match it."

"You sure talk a lot for a silly little girl..."

Lord Voldemort, or whatever was his name, was now staring at her as if he could read her mind. She tried to look away and focused on the cover of her book instead. But he followed her gaze and kept going:

"Interesting choice, for a child your age. Tell me, do you understand its content ?"

At this moment, her father seemed to come back to its senses and stepped forward:

"Worschula can't read, she's only six and she hasn't learnt it yet. She just likes to look at the pictures and turn the pages!"

"Is that so? I guess it makes sense. Such complex work will forever remain out of reach for the likes of you."

His scorn was for both daughter and father this time.

"Don't you dare look down on my father."

Her lisp was gone, erased by her determination and anger. Everybody in the room was shocked, except the key player, whose mask of contempt was showing signs of irritation. Bellatrix' glare was murderous.

"Oh, but I dare. A little squib like you, on the other hand, should think twice before offending Lord Voldemort."

"I'm as much a squib as you're a Lord."

Now they all held their breath.

"You little bitch!" This came from Bellatrix, of course, who had rushed to hit Worschula but had been stopped mid-way by Voldemort. The latter was clearly enraged too but he had other plans for the little girl.

"Stop it Bellatrix, wizards don't fight like filthy muggles..."

"But my Lord! She dared insult you when she and her stupid father are our inferiors! She doesn't deserve any mercy!"

"I told you to stop insulting my father!" now Worschula was almost yelling.

Then several things happened : Bellatrix tried to hit Worschula again, Voldemort pointed his wand at her but before either of them could get to her, the windows and mirrors of the room exploded, sending glass splinters flying everywhere, taking them all by surprise.

In the confusion, only Voldemort managed to protect himself immediately from the shards by casting a quick Protego. The others had suffered several cuts before they could cast the spell.

Yet, after a few seconds, it became evident that something was off. First, the shards didn't fall but kept swirling around at increasing speed. Secondly, Worschula and her father seemed to be miraculously spared. Voldemort looked down at the little girl and was slightly surprised by what he saw. Her plump face was contorted with rage and her dull blue eyes had turned black. He figured out it was probably her doing though it was rather unexpected. Maybe he had underestimated her...He had to make sure.

"Pathetic...Is it all you can do ? I have seen better displays of magic from mudblood babies...but I don't expect anything more from you."

His little taunt seemed to work as the shards began hitting their shields with more power than before. Yet, he remained unimpressed. The intensity was still too weak to break even one shield.

Worschula felt she was losing control but she didn't want to give in to his taunt. It was clear he wanted to test her, to see how far she could go. But just as she had regained some control over herself, she felt something click inside her mind and her whole conscience was taken over by something far more powerful than she was.

At the same time, there was a loud bang and all the shields crumbled, causing panic among the assembly. Even Voldemort, who had not been prepared for this twist, suffered a few cuts before casting a new Protego. He looked around him and saw that the others' shields were not strong enough to last. This was becoming interesting...Maybe he should attack her to see how she would react.

But as he turned towards her again, he stopped dead in his tracks. For a split second, in place of the little girl's, he glimpsed the cold, stern face of a woman with long, silvery black hair and dark eyes. He blinked and it was Worschula again, silly pigtails and all, only she was smiling oddly at him:

"You...Lord of death or whatever you call yourself...One day, your life shall be mine." she stated confidently.

Voldemort had certainly not seen _that_ coming. Never in all his life had someone dared address him like that, least a stupid little girl. He stood frozen for a few seconds, both outraged and amazed by her nerve.

"You little—" but he was interrupted by a thunderous noise. All the glass splinters had begun falling to the ground.

Worschula's weird smile was gone, replaced by a dazed expression.

The room was a complete mess and almost everybody was bleeding from the cuts, except the two Flint. Voldemort had only received a few minor cuts on his cheeks but he had already tended to it.

Now that everything had come back to normal, they realized that someone had been screaming the whole time of the drama. Indeed, unbeknownst to all, Bellatrix had failed to cast a good Protego because of the powerful swirl and her beautiful face was full of deep, ugly cuts from the shards. Her hands and arms were also bleeding profusely as she had used them to cover herself. In her rage and fear, she had blindly cast almost every spell she knew but none of them had reached their target, causing further damage to the room instead.

When she spotted Worschula, whom she had been aiming the whole time, she pointed her wand at her, a deadly look in her eyes:

"I'm going to kill you, you-little-FREAAAK!"

A spell missed the little girl by an inch. Worschula tried to take a step but she was completely exhausted from her feat. She lost her balance and fell heavily on the stranger who let her slid to the ground without trying to catch her. When her father tried to help her to her feet, he realized she had already fainted.


End file.
